I am currently a PhD candidate in the Political Science program at the University of Notre Dame and a Fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. My research areas include comparative politics, African politics, international relations of Africa and political methodology. My dissertation project lies at the intersection of Comparative Political Behavior and political institutions. I investigate how citizens navigate political representation, accountability, and local governance. For many Africans and those in the Global South, their experience with democracy comes from direct interaction with local representatives. I employ both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches to test original theories that bridge comparative political behavior and political institutions to understand how electoral incentives drive the way citizens make demands from their elites. I have had hands-on experience with both advanced quantitative techniques and qualitative methods (specifically focus groups and elite interviews) that go towards enriching our understanding of political behavior of citizens in new and budding democracies in Africa. In addition to my research I am passionate about teaching. In my 9 years as an educator, I have worked with students from various bacgrounds and culture in the capacity of instructor of record, co-instructor and teaching assistant.

Outside academia, I am an avid consumer of sports, the arts, and music. I also enjoy traveling and exploring different foods and cultures.