Welcome to my homepage! I am an Assoc. Prof. in the Department of Economics at George Mason University and Co-PI of the interdisciplinary Historical Psychology Project that investigates the role of kinship for psychological, political and economic outcomes.  

My work focuses on Cultural Evolution, exploring the co-evolution of human psychology with formal and informal institutions and how this shapes our contemporary world. My research appears in leading general interest journals (Science, Nature, Nature Human Behavior, PNAS) and disciplinary journals (Journal of Political Economy, Economic Journal, Management Science). It has been discussed in major news outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Economist, The Wallstreet Journal, The New Yorker among many others. In 2023, I was awarded the Royal Economic Society Prize for my work on Kin-networks and Institutional Development.

For an overview on my research, listen to my conversation on the game changer podcast.