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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, ethnic politics and political methodology.

My research examines the state's role in the formation of ethnic and national identities.  My dissertation is based on 20 months of fieldwork in Kenya, and data collected from over 8,000 survey respondents.  My work in Kenya was 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.

I am also involved in a variety of ongoing projects.  Within African politics, these projects relate to political behavior, with particular emphasis on clientelism and vote-buying. Outside African politics, I seek to improve methods for causal inference and develop innovative measures of social attitudes.

A copy of my CV is available here.