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I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, and a Research Affiliate at Strathmore University in Nairobi. I study African politics, political behavior and methodology. I am currently the Director of Research at Consilient, where I lead a team of 15 full-time researchers and lead impact evaluations throughout the Horn of Africa.
My dissertation research examines the state's role in the formation of ethnic and national identities. Based on 20 months of fieldwork in Kenya, and data collected from over 8,000 survey respondents, I find that ethnic identities dominate in areas neglected by the state, and that state service provision reduces the salience of ethnicity. My work in Kenya has been supported by the Albert Gallatin Graduate Research Fellowship, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, and the British Institute in Eastern Africa. Beyond my dissertation, I am involved in a number of ongoing projects related to electoral behavior, ethnic favoritism, and clientelism in Kenya, Mozambique, and the US. I also have interests in research methodology, especially methods for causal inference, survey methodology, and measurement of latent social attitudes. A copy of my CV is available here. |