UC Merced Expert 

Mostern is a world historian with an emphasis on imperial Chinese history and political geography. She is also a pioneer in the use of information technology in the humanities, including such applications as digital mapping and digital libraries. The combination creates a meaningful blend of old and new, bringing ancient political, religious, cultural and other material to life in a state-of-the-art format useful at all levels of learning.

An expert cartographer and geographer, Mostern can provide useful perspective on global geopolitical developments throughout history. She also can comment on the history of trade, technology and the environment. Her interest in the marriage of cultural history and digital technology has led to innovative work on a number of fronts, including tracing the religious history of China and its historic structures, and has made her a leading authority in this emerging field.

Mostern earned a B.S. in foreign relations at Georgetown University and M.A. and Ph. D. degrees in world history at UC Berkeley. Prior to joining UC Merced in 2004, she served as a research specialist at the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative at UC Berkeley.