Welcome!

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Emory University.

My research focuses on the nexus of criminal violence, state-building, and democratic accountability. Criminal actors, often overlooked, pose critical security challenges for both contemporary and historical states. They not only influence the effectiveness and conduct of state institutions but are also influenced by them, profoundly impacting human security. Through innovative theoretical frameworks and empirical methods, I aim to to understand these interactions and their consequences for civilians.

My dissertation examines how authorities can exploit criminal violence as a tool of coercion to manipulate elite coalitions, leveraging protection to secure loyalty and sustain extractive governance. Using a novel collection of internal East India Company documents from 1769 to 1773, I explore the strategic responses to and discussions about criminal violence and profit maximization within Company leadership, as well as the demands by Indian elites and Bengali civilians in attempts to hold the regime accountable. This project offers rare insight into the process of repression and sheds light on why some states may have an incentive to not prevent crime. I have received funding for this through the National Science Foundation and the American Political Science Association (DDRIG).

I have regional expertise in Mexico and Mozambique, as well as in historical expertise on British rule in Northern Ireland and Northeastern India. I adopt a multi-method empirical approach that includes the training and use of deep-learning models (Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing), as well as design-based casual inference and qualitative process tracing.

In some of my other current projects, I examine why the state collaborated with some Loyalist, pro-government militias during the Troubles in Northern Ireland using the declassified, private conversations of top officials. I measure the effect of mayoral reelection on organized criminal groups’ attempts to infiltrate local elections in Mexico, and I also examine the effect of natural resource shocks on local infrastructure and illicit economies in Mozambique.

As a co-founder of Women in Political Science at Emory (WiPS-E), I am committed to building and empowering a diverse and inclusive research community that reaches across both academic and policy networks.

Prior to joining Emory University, I received my B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina Asheville in 2020, where I was awarded the 2020 Big South Christenberry Award and was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year.