Experience

Rice University

• Houston, Texas, United States

• Assistant Professor

  • Jul 2023 - Present

  Department of Political Science Department of Political Science



Duke University

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  • Aug 2022 - Jul 2023

  America in the World Consortium Postdoctoral Fellow Affiliated with the Program in American Grand Strategy America in the World Consortium Postdoctoral Fellow Affiliated with the Program in American Grand Strategy



Stanford University

• Stanford, CA

• Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science

  • Sep 2016 - Sep 2022

  Fields: International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Methodology Dissertation: Organizing for Violence: The Politics of Militant Group Formation and Fragmentation in Armed Conflict What explains the surprising strength and durability of non-state armed groups in civil war? This dissertation develops two answers to this puzzle based on evidence from two original datasets and a series of field interviews with rebel leaders in Myanmar. First, foreign states can intervene… Show more Fields: International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Methodology Dissertation: Organizing for Violence: The Politics of Militant Group Formation and Fragmentation in Armed Conflict What explains the surprising strength and durability of non-state armed groups in civil war? This dissertation develops two answers to this puzzle based on evidence from two original datasets and a series of field interviews with rebel leaders in Myanmar. First, foreign states can intervene directly in the group formation process, building strong and capable armed groups to serve as their proxies. Groups that receive this kind of `founding' aid are more active perpetrators of violence in civil war. A second source of armed group strength springs from internal group management practices. To thwart internal challenges to group cohesion, group leaders must actively use managerial tools to discourage factionalism within their groups. Overall, the findings of this dissertation illustrate that international and organizational politics directly influence armed group strength and civil war processes. Show less Fields: International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Methodology Dissertation: Organizing for Violence: The Politics of Militant Group Formation and Fragmentation in Armed Conflict What explains the surprising strength and durability of non-state armed groups in civil war? This dissertation develops two answers to this puzzle based on evidence from two original datasets and a series of field interviews with rebel leaders in Myanmar. First, foreign states can intervene… Show more Fields: International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Methodology Dissertation: Organizing for Violence: The Politics of Militant Group Formation and Fragmentation in Armed Conflict What explains the surprising strength and durability of non-state armed groups in civil war? This dissertation develops two answers to this puzzle based on evidence from two original datasets and a series of field interviews with rebel leaders in Myanmar. First, foreign states can intervene directly in the group formation process, building strong and capable armed groups to serve as their proxies. Groups that receive this kind of `founding' aid are more active perpetrators of violence in civil war. A second source of armed group strength springs from internal group management practices. To thwart internal challenges to group cohesion, group leaders must actively use managerial tools to discourage factionalism within their groups. Overall, the findings of this dissertation illustrate that international and organizational politics directly influence armed group strength and civil war processes. Show less



William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies

• Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Academic Assistant

  • Aug 2015 - Jul 2016



University of Michigan

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Content Specialist

  • Jan 2014 - May 2015

  Worked with a team of computer and media technicians to build a database of information on nineteenth century theater, specially focusing on mapping the journeys of African-American actor Ira Aldridge Analyzed and verified the accuracy of data collected from an array of primary and secondary sources about the development of nineteenth century theater and the endeavors of Ira Aldridge, serving as the primary contributor of the database's historical content Facilitated cooperation… Show more Worked with a team of computer and media technicians to build a database of information on nineteenth century theater, specially focusing on mapping the journeys of African-American actor Ira Aldridge Analyzed and verified the accuracy of data collected from an array of primary and secondary sources about the development of nineteenth century theater and the endeavors of Ira Aldridge, serving as the primary contributor of the database's historical content Facilitated cooperation and discussion between the team of computer scientists, the professor heading the project, and the students taking the University’s theatre history course, "Excavating Ira Aldridge," promoting effective communication and management skills Received the second prize in the MLibrary Research Award competition sponsored by the University of Michigan Libraries for outstanding research techniques and use of resources

• Student Facilitator

  • Aug 2014 - Apr 2015

  Facilitated discourse with students experiencing conflict with their peers or superiors, honing negotiation and conflict resolution skills Built strong interpersonal relationships with students, utilizing skills such as motivational interviewing and conflict coaching to interact with and teach students how to interact with difficult people Refined administrative and organizational abilities through creating and maintaining student conduct reports and files



Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, University of Calgary

• Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• Research Assistant

  • Jun 2014 - Jul 2014

  Explored Arctic Security, specifically researching the past and present naval capabilities of the eight Arctic Council members and using the data to make predictions for the future Relied on press releases, newspaper articles, and multiple volumes of Jane’s Fighting Ships for data, familiarizing myself with major militarized ship classes and military vocabulary Wrote extensive reports and bibliographies of my findings, demonstrating well refined organizational skills and an… Show more Explored Arctic Security, specifically researching the past and present naval capabilities of the eight Arctic Council members and using the data to make predictions for the future Relied on press releases, newspaper articles, and multiple volumes of Jane’s Fighting Ships for data, familiarizing myself with major militarized ship classes and military vocabulary Wrote extensive reports and bibliographies of my findings, demonstrating well refined organizational skills and an aptitude for document and spreadsheet formatting Show less Explored Arctic Security, specifically researching the past and present naval capabilities of the eight Arctic Council members and using the data to make predictions for the future Relied on press releases, newspaper articles, and multiple volumes of Jane’s Fighting Ships for data, familiarizing myself with major militarized ship classes and military vocabulary Wrote extensive reports and bibliographies of my findings, demonstrating well refined organizational skills and an… Show more Explored Arctic Security, specifically researching the past and present naval capabilities of the eight Arctic Council members and using the data to make predictions for the future Relied on press releases, newspaper articles, and multiple volumes of Jane’s Fighting Ships for data, familiarizing myself with major militarized ship classes and military vocabulary Wrote extensive reports and bibliographies of my findings, demonstrating well refined organizational skills and an aptitude for document and spreadsheet formatting Show less



William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies

• Fort McNair, Washington, DC

• Research Assistant

  • Sep 2013 - Dec 2013

  Researched topics on security and defense in the Western Hemisphere, working with an international staff and often speaking in Spanish to the many professors and military officials that oversaw my research Co-authored an article on measuring the success of the War on Drugs, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to complete the study Attended numerous lectures and professional development sessions each week, familiarizing myself with defense and security… Show more Researched topics on security and defense in the Western Hemisphere, working with an international staff and often speaking in Spanish to the many professors and military officials that oversaw my research Co-authored an article on measuring the success of the War on Drugs, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to complete the study Attended numerous lectures and professional development sessions each week, familiarizing myself with defense and security issues around the world, such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and intelligence Show less Researched topics on security and defense in the Western Hemisphere, working with an international staff and often speaking in Spanish to the many professors and military officials that oversaw my research Co-authored an article on measuring the success of the War on Drugs, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to complete the study Attended numerous lectures and professional development sessions each week, familiarizing myself with defense and security… Show more Researched topics on security and defense in the Western Hemisphere, working with an international staff and often speaking in Spanish to the many professors and military officials that oversaw my research Co-authored an article on measuring the success of the War on Drugs, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to complete the study Attended numerous lectures and professional development sessions each week, familiarizing myself with defense and security issues around the world, such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and intelligence Show less



Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, University of Michigan

• Research Assistant

  • Sep 2011 - Dec 2012

  Collected, analyzed, and presented data from a variety of primary and secondary sources in conjunction with a professor from the history department to better understand the business strategies of The Fisk Jubilee Singers, a historical singing troupe Received the third prize in the MLibrary Research Award competition sponsored by the University of Michigan Libraries for outstanding research techniques and use of resources Collected, analyzed, and presented data from a variety of primary and secondary sources in conjunction with a professor from the history department to better understand the business strategies of The Fisk Jubilee Singers, a historical singing troupe Received the third prize in the MLibrary Research Award competition sponsored by the University of Michigan Libraries for outstanding research techniques and use of resources