I received my Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University and I am proud to be a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina. I am also a Research Fellow at the Varieties of Democracy Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden, where I am a part of a team of researchers exploring patterns in democratization over time.
I am interested in the interactions of autocratic leaders and institutions, particularly with regard to regime change and conflict outcomes. I have published in peer reviewed journals that include the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, International Interactions, Political Science Research and Methods, and Comparative Political Studies. Some of the courses that I have taught include Dictatorship and Democratization, Latin American Politics, Advanced Quantitative Methods, and Comparative Politics. As a comparativist scholar, I have a special interest in the politics of Latin America and historical development.
I also have a passion for international travel and language.