Brown University has engaged in the study and teaching of Sanskrit for over a century, but these two Ph.D. tracks in Classics and Religious Studies are new. The Brown Sanskrit program is now under the leadership of the Purandara Das Professor of Sanskrit in Classics, James L. Fitzgerald, a scholar of ancient Indian religions, literatures, and philosophies. Fitzgerald is a specialist in the ancient Indian epics, particularly the Mahābhārata. He is joined by Senior Lecturer Peter Scharf, who is a specialist in Indian traditions of grammatical analysis (particularly the Pāṇinian tradition), philosophy of language, and paleography.