I am a Research Scientist (previously Postdoctoral Associate) at MIT in MIT GOV/LAB and the Department of Political Science.

I have two streams of research, one that focuses on foreign policy decision-making and a second that focuses on governance. In foreign policy, I study how individual biases can affect group decision-making in foreign policy. Foreign policy decisions are often made with small groups of advisors, and I study how the interplay of conformity and confirmation biases in small groups can lead to differences in decision quality and information search. I use a computational model as a formalized representation of small group decision-making and text analysis of U.S. National Security Council conversations to provide empirical evidence for the model’s findings.

At MIT GOV/LAB, I work on projects that examine trust, bureaucracy, and technology in government in the Global South. I study how governments’ interactions with citizens (through improved service delivery, information provision, or signals of good intent, etc.) affect citizens’ trust in and compliance with the government. Our most recent projects examine how perceived government intentions affect citizens’ compliance with government initiatives.

I use quantitative methods in my research and specialize in policy evaluation using randomized controlled trials. I served as a Methods Specialist with the Office of Evaluation Sciences at the U.S. General Services Administration and conducted research on taxation and public service delivery in Malawi as a part of the EGAP Metaketa Initiative. Prior to my doctoral studies, I was a program manager at Sister Cities International for U.S.-Chinese-African trilateral municipal cooperation projects.

I hold a BSFS in Comparative Studies and an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University. I received my PhD in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021.