I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to coming to UNCC, I was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California at Merced. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Florida State University and attended Clemson University (Go Tigers!) for my undergraduate degree.

My primary research and teaching interests fall at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics and focus on state repression, international organizations, and comparative political institutions. I am especially interested in how international and domestic institutions constrain state behavior. To date, the majority of my research centers on how executives make decisions regarding state repression and human rights in the face of institutional constraints.