Hello!
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. I received my M.A. in Political Science from UCSD in Fall 2022. I was previously a corporate attorney in New York City and Southern California.
I study how interest groups and economic elites interact with local political institutions and elections. My dissertation analyzes interest group mechanisms of influence in local politics using multiple methods, including an original observational data set of interest group endorsements in mayoral elections and a conjoint survey experiment. My job market paper — “Polarization in Police Union Politics” — analyzes the interaction between polarization and interest group endorsements with a focus on police unions. It has been accepted at the American Journal of Political Science.
I am also passionate about teaching and advising students. I have received multiple teaching awards, including the UCSD Barbara and Paul Saltman Excellent Teaching Award for Graduate Students in 2024.
I earned a JD from Columbia Law School in 2013 and worked as a corporate attorney for seven years. I draw upon my legal career in both my research and my teaching, and I am happy to advise students interested in law school.
