Fieldwork
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Social Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
I study authoritarianism, with a focus on East Asia. My book manuscript, Preserving Power: Elite Purges in Dictatorships, examines the causes of elite purges and their effects on autocratic survival. My central claim is that a dictator’s fear of being unseated by popular protests and foreign adversaries shapes whether they purge elites, who to target, and when to do so. Conversely, existing arguments emphasize how coup threats shape patterns of elite purges.
My work has been published or is forthcoming in journals including Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Peace Research, Party Politics, Democratization, and Research & Politics.
PhD in Political Science, 2020
University of Missouri
MA in Intelligence and International Security, 2013
King's College London
BSc in Politics, 2010
Bristol University
“Preserving Power: Elite Purges in Dictatorships” (book manuscript, working title)
“The Effects of Elite Purges on Attempted and Successful Coups”
“To Purge or Not to Purge? An Individual-Level Quantitative Analysis of Elite Purges in Dictatorships” (with Austin S. Matthews) - revise and resubmit
“How Do Dictators Manage Their Ruling Coalition to Prepare for Leader Succession? Evidence from North Korea” (with Peter Ward)
“Measuring Subnational Variation in Peacekeeping Effectiveness” (with Michael Hendricks and Bryce Reeder) - revise and resubmit
Teaching Instructor
PS2700 - Comparative Political Systems, Spring 2019.
Syllabus; Teaching evaluation
Lab Instructor
IPSA-USP: Basics of Spatial Interdependence in Theory and Practice, Spring 2018.
Teaching evaluation
PS3000 - Introduction to Political Research, Fall 2017.
PS2700 - Comparative Political Systems, Fall 2016.
Teaching Assistant
PS4700 - America’s Wars in Asia, Spring 2017.
PS4770 - Comparative Political Behavior, Spring 2016.
PS1100 - American Government, Fall 2015.
“How Would Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Handle North Korea?” The National Interest, August 20, 2020.
“Body Politic: Why Kim Jong Un’s Health Still Matters.” NK News, June 26, 2020.
“The importance of regime similarity to explain democratic diffusion.” Democratic Audit, June 26, 2019.
“North Korea is Marching with South Korea at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Does This Mean a Diplomatic Thaw is Coming?” The Washington Post, February 9, 2018.
“Will U.N. sanctions stop North Korean missile tests? Don’t count on it.” The Washington Post, August 9, 2017.