I grew up between the Netherlands and France and studied history in both Amsterdam and Paris before completing my doctorate in Paris. I’ve taught American history at Sciences Po (Paris and Reims campuses) and Université Paris 8, and remain actively involved in several public history initiatives that bridge academic research and wider audiences.

From an early age, I understood that history is more than dates and battles—it’s about people and the choices that shaped our world. My journey into historical research began with a tulip poplar in my garden in Burgundy, tied to a local legend that it had been planted by the Marquis de Lafayette. Further investigation revealed that the tree had actually been brought back from North America by his uncle, François-Jean de Chastellux. That discovery led to something even more extraordinary: the long-lost personal papers of Chastellux, a forgotten French general and philosopher at the heart of the French Enlightenment and the French-American alliance of the American Revolution.

Chastellux’s unpublished correspondence that I uncovered sparked a deep exploration of Franco-American relations during the Revolutionary era—interweaving diplomacy, military strategy, and Enlightenment ideals. His exchanges with Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin profoundly reshaped my understanding of the American Revolution and became the foundation of my doctoral dissertation (Université Paris 8, 2019) and my award-winning biography (Prix Guizot, 2023).

With the support of fellowships from institutions such as Mount Vernon and the American Philosophical Society, my research has taken me through archives across France and the United States. I currently live in Washington, D.C., where I serve as a postdoctoral fellow at the Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia (2024–2026), completing my forthcoming book and organizing events related to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026.