Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University. My research focuses on the dynamics of violent conflict, especially in the Middle East and wider Islamic world. I am particularly interested in the psychological factors – including the biases and misperceptions – that drive conflicts, and how they can be mitigated or leveraged to promote peace.

I have investigated questions such as when people believe lies and misinformation in war zones, what shapes people’s support for violent resistance organizations (among other types of conflict actors), what drives American foreign policy attitudes and how to reduce U.S. public fears of terrorism, and the role of rebel leaders in modern war and peace making.

I use a variety of methods in my work, from surveys and experiments to large-n econometric analysis and fieldwork. To date, my work is published or forthcoming in International Organization, International Studies Quarterly (twice), the Journal of Conflict Resolution (twice), the Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, Political Research Quarterly, and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. Before arriving at CMU, I received my Ph.D. in political science at the Ohio State University and my B.A. in political science at the University of Pennsylvania.