I am a PhD Candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My primary substantive interests are political psychology, intergroup conflict, media and observational learning, and international development. My dissertation examines the effects of media-based and intergroup contact-based conflict prevention programs in northern Nigeria. I have collaborated with NGOs Equal Access International and Mercy Corps on academic and policy work throughout Africa. My work with Mercy Corps was featured in the article “Why Do We See So Many Things as ‘Us vs. Them’?” in the April 2018 issue of National Geographic.
My research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and Evidence in Governance and Politics. I received my AA from Grand Rapids Community College and my BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan.