Dr. Kelly received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is the author of The Society of Dilettanti: Archaeology and Identity in the British Enlightenment (Yale University Press and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2010).

As Director of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute, Dr. Kelly supports IUPUI’s research mission by directing a grant program, identifying and fostering multidisciplinary research collaborations, and organizing research workshops and symposia.  He also acts as a liaison to the Indianapolis community, and in this capacity facilitates collaborative endeavors including performances, lectures, and special projects.

Dr. Kelly’s current research projects focus on the history of the environment, human rights, and art.  He leads a major international collaborative project, Rivers of the Anthropocene (rivers.iupui.edu), which brings together scientists, humanists, and policy makers to study global river systems and policy since 1750.  His current book projects are The Unfinished Enlightenment: The Making of Civil Rights in the Atlantic World and Nicholas Revett and Georgian Neoclassicism.

Dr. Kelly is the recipient of the IUPUI Research Trailblazers Award (2013), two IU Trustees Teaching Awards (2011, 2008), and the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Student Council Outstanding Academic Adviser Award (2010).