Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Old Dominion University. He specializes on two main areas of research 1) the development of Islam in China and 2) Muslims in Cinema.

His first book, Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab, was published with Oxford University Press in 2017.

He is currently working on a monograph entitled "The Cinematic Lives of Muslims." He is also the editor of the forthcoming volumes Muslims in the Movies: A Global Anthology, for the Mizan Series published with ILEX Foundation and Harvard University Press, and New Approaches to Islam in Film, in the series Routledge Studies in Religion and Film.