Ariel studied for the M.Res. at CELL in 2008-2009. In her dissertation, she investigated the correspondence of Lucy Harington Russell, Countess of Bedford, to Sir Dudley Carleton, English Ambassador to The Hague. She also holds a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she earned high honors for her work on Early Modern Drama. Her current research interests include early Stuart history, sex and gender politics, and manuscript studies.