I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, with concentrations in American politics, methods, racial and ethnic politics, and comparative politics. My research studies challenges to democratic elections in the United States, with an emphasis on state and local politics. I combine large-scale original data collections on elections with administrative datasets, employ modern empirical techniques for causal inference, and field survey experiments to study questions about partisanship, accountability, and representation.
My dissertation uses this approach to study election administration in the U.S. and its resilience in the face of increasing partisan polarization, the limits of accountability for local offices, underrepresentation of racial minorities, and heightened turnover in the profession. I also study the racialization of anti-democratic attitudes, primary elections, and the politics of electoral reform.
I hold a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Arts degree in Politics from the University of Otago, which I earned on a Fulbright Grant to New Zealand. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College with majors in Political Science and Music. My work has been published or is forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals such as The American Political Science Review and The British Journal of Political Science; in reports with the Bipartisan Policy Center and Transparency International; and in media outlets such as The Washington Post and The Conversation. My work has also received coverage from major news sites including NBC, NPR, Bloomberg, and The Guardian.
PhD candidate in Political Science
University of California, Los Angeles
MA in Political Science, 2022
University of California, Los Angeles
MA in Politics, 2020
University of Otago
BA in Political Science and Music, 2018
Amherst College