Welcome! I am an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Merced and a research affiliate at the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

I study how politics and policy influence mental health and poverty and how these social problems in turn shape the political engagement of citizens.

My research is funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, published in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, American Sociological Review, and elsewhere, and featured in outlets, such as CNN, PBS, Slate, and Vox.