Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Rhode Island. My research agenda focuses on the United States Congress, particularly relating to congressional representation, distributive politics, and elections. I previously earned a B.A. in Government and International Studies from Dartmouth College in 2016, a M.P.A. from Drake University in 2019, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 2024. From 2016 to 2018, I served as the research director for Vote Smart, a nationwide voter education nonprofit.

My dissertation, “The Nature, Determinants, and Consequences of Congressional Distributive Politics,” explores the intersection of congressional representation and federal budgetary policy. Using a combination of spending data analysis and survey experiments, I explore the forces determining where federal money flows and how voters interpret congressional spending decisions.

My research has been published or is forthcoming in the Journal of Public Policy, Political Behavior, Politics & Gender, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. Additionally, my research is funded by the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG) Program and OU’s Dodge Family Research Fellowship.