David Christian

David Christian, a historian and scholar recognized for his work in Russian history, holds a distinct position in the academic community for his innovative approach to the discipline of Big History. A term he coined, Big History is a comprehensive view of history that transcends traditional boundaries to incorporate elements from cosmology, earth sciences, biology, anthropology, and more. His commitment to this novel perspective is evident in his role as president of the International Big History Association and his initiation of the Big History Project, a curriculum designed to bring this broad perspective to secondary school students.

Christian's contributions to the field have been captured in several books, including "Maps of Time" and "Origin Story: A Big History of Everything." The former, a significant contribution to world history, was honored with the World History Association Book Prize. Besides his writing, he has also been an active educator, holding the title of Distinguished Professor at Macquarie University and having affiliations with San Diego State University, the University of Vermont, and Ewha Womans University. His expertise is further recognized by being a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Christian has been proactive in extending his knowledge to wider audiences. He has given a TED Talk titled "The history of our world in 18 minutes" and has appeared on platforms such as NPR and HuffPost discussing Big History. His efforts to democratize this comprehensive approach to history have attracted the attention and support of philanthropist Bill Gates, who has funded his project to bring Big History to secondary-school students worldwide.