I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, I held a Research Fellowship at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington in 2014.

My research concerns political institutions, representation, and public policy, with a focus on gender and politics and a regional concentration in sub-Saharan Africa. My research interests are in four primary areas: (1) how legislative institutions – most notably the adoption of electoral gender quotas – shape the substantive representation of women’s interests and priorities in national legislatures; (2) how exposure to women officeholders affects citizen behavior; (3) gender differences in citizens’ political preferences, attitudes and behaviors; and (4) gender gaps in political ambition and conditions that give rise to women political candidates.

My work has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Politics & Gender, Comparative Political Studies, and International Organization among other outlets. I have also consulted for the World Bank (Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, Africa Region), USAID (Women’s Political Participation and Leadership Program) and think tanks and NGOs in several developing country contexts.