Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Christopher Newport University and Director of the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution. Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Global Order theme at Perry World House, the global policy hub of the University of Pennsylvania (2020-2021), and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University (2019-2020). I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2019.
My research covers human rights, international courts, international law, and political methodology. One major throughline of my work is how institutions — be they courts, treaties, museums, or even song contests — affect political outcomes like compliance and attitudes about human rights. A second throughline is the focus on finding and using the best possible empirical data to answer research questions, and on appropriate tools for analyzing data. My research has won awards from four different professional organizations and has been published in multiple outlets, including Journal of Politics, Journal of Peace Research, International Studies Quarterly, and Review of International Organizations.
I received my B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2013 as an Echols Scholar, where I majored in Classics and Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law.
I received my B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2013 as an Echols Scholar, where I majored in Classics and Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law.