About

I have spent the last decade working in social science research, focusing on the political economy of U.S. social and health policy. Throughout my education and career, I have been interested in how empirical social science can help us improve policies, programs, and processes and to better understand the contexts in which they are implemented. 

I have a particular interest in the role of interest groups and institutional change in policy development. My current research focuses on the politics of regulation in health policy, primarily in the U.S. context. I am working on a book manuscript from my dissertation,  Regulating Data Privacy in the American Political Economy, that explores the ramifications of the delegated welfare state for consumer protection. In my dissertation, I argue that institutional changes in the financing of health insurance shaped the interest group dynamics around consumer health data protection.

From 2014-2017, I conducted research in social policy program evaluation at MEF Associates in the Washington, DC area. At MEF, I worked on contracts  for the U.S. Department of Labor, the Department of State, and the Department of Health and Human Services. My work in policy evaluation included interviewing program participants and analyzing transcripts, meeting with program administrators, conducting participant observations, mapping policy processes, redesigning government documents for experimental interventions, and training site staff in randomized controlled trials. I also worked as an Editorial Intern at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in Brooklyn, NY.

I completed my PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024, where I concentrated in American Politics, Comparative Politics, and Political Economy. I earned by B.A. cum laude in Government with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Economics from Smith College in Northampton, MA. While at Smith,  I studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland for the academic year and interned for an international non-profit that provides pro bono legal representation in developing countries.

When not doing research, I like to go hiking and to cook elaborate meals with my partner, tend to my plants, play piano and guitar, and paint -- my artwork has been recognized here and can be purchased here.