Carla Nappi is a historian and self-described historical pataphysician specializing in Chinese and Manchu texts from early modernity. She holds the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in History at the University of Pittsburgh, where her research explores translation, knowledge production, and the intersections of language and history. Nappi has published extensively on these topics, contributing to fields such as intellectual history, the history of science, and comparative literature. Her work often takes an experimental and interdisciplinary approach, blending historical scholarship with creative narrative techniques. In addition to her academic contributions, she engages in public scholarship through podcasts and other media.