DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

John Miles Branch is a PhD candidate in U.S. history. His research is focused on nonprofits and philanthropy, and his dissertation analyzes the growing prominence of the nonprofit sector in the American economy during the second half of the twentieth century. He is particularly interested in the histories of labor and management at nonprofit organizations; nonprofits’ roles in the political economy of public goods and services; and the place of the nonprofit sector in the history of economic thought.

During his time at Northwestern, John has served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses focused on modern global history, global economic history, and Western science and medicine. He has also worked at the Shorefront Legacy Center as a fellow with the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies and the NU Chicago Humanities Initiative. Before graduate school, he worked for a research and policy organization focused on global poverty and in fundraising for a small elementary school.