A specialist in the history of early modern Spain, Helen Nader was Emerita Professor of History at the University of Arizona, where she taught from 1995 until her retirement in 2006. She earned a B.A. from the University of Arizona, an M.A. from Smith College, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her appointment at the University of Arizona, Nader taught at Indiana University from 1976 until 1995, where she was the Ruth N. Halls Professor of History.