I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and a Research Associate at the Center for the Study of African Political Economy (CSAPE). Previously, I have been a dissertation fellow at the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), a Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar at the US Institute of Peace (USIP), and a Fulbright Scholar. I study elections and political accountability in emerging democracies, specifically the determinants of voting behavior, the dynamics of electoral fraud, and the causes and consequences of political violence.
In 2010, I served as Democracy International’s Research Director for their Election Observation mission for Afghanistan, and I have observed additional elections in Uganda (2011), Afghanistan (2009) , Ghana (2008), and Kenya (2007). I have consulted for Democracy International, South Consulting (Nairobi), UN Development Program (UNDP), African Centre for Open Governance (Nairobi), and conducted field research in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Chad, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Ghana, and Uganda. I am a Co-Principal Investigator for the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) Project.
I received my MSc (with Merit) in African Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and my BA (High Honors, magna cum laude) in International Relations and History from the College of William & Mary. I grew up in Washington DC, Germany, New York, Texas, and Colorado.
For more information, please refer to my Curriculum Vitae or Contact Me.
Photo above: First day of polling for Southern Sudan’s self-determination referendum. UN Photo/TIM MCKULKA
