Michael was born and raised in New York. He studied at the College of William and Mary and at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, completing a BA in History and a M.Sc. in Economics & Finance. Prior to commencing postgraduate studies in Berlin, Michael worked for some years in Manhattan and as an English teacher in Spain. Apart from history, Michael’s passions include travel, fiction, languages, politics, folk music, and baseball. In his free time he likes to do crossword puzzles, hike, and fiddle around on the harmonica. His current research interests include the Atlantic world in the 17th & 18th centuries, migration, working class struggles, and partisan conflict.