Thomas R. Paradise

Dr. Tom Paradise is a Geography, Geosciences, and Cartography Professor at the University of Arkansas, and the Director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies. He comes from a diverse background in the environmental sciences, cartography/GIS, architectural and stone conservation, cultural heritage management, and Middle East and North Africa geography. Having researched the unique, decaying architecture of Petra, Jordan since 1990, he has published more than sixty articles, chapters, and books on Petra and continues to advise foreign agencies on cultural heritage management, stone architectural deterioration, and Middle Eastern and North African architecture. The University of Arkansas' Petra Project is the longest running research agenda of its kind in Petra, Jordan. His expertise on stone architectural deterioration has been requested by countries across the Mediterranean and Middle East, including Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Vatican City, and Jordan. In addition, he is a script and graphics consultant to a number of documentary production companies including Nova (PBS), Discovery, and Smithsonian Channels. Professor Paradise has taught abroad at Universities in Rome, Venice, Amman, as well as in the US in Georgia, Hawai'i, Arizona, and California. He has lived in Rome, Amman, San Francisco, and Hawaii, and lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Mendocino, California (2017)