I am a political scientist and evidence-informed advisor with expertise in forced migration, housing, land, and property, and customary law. My work supports governments and international organizations operating in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Through research and consulting, I have worked in Kosovo, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Oman, Uganda, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, kayaking, and spending time with my entertaining family. I also engage in advocacy to combat hunger in the United States and around the world.
I bridge research and practice to address the institutional challenges that arise during and after violent conflict. My work helps governments and international organizations develop policies that are grounded in evidence, responsive to local context, and attentive to the people most affected.
My work examines how societies recover from the disruption of violent conflict. One strand focuses on rebuilding housing, land, and property institutions; the other investigates how forcibly displaced people decide whether, when, and where to return. Together, these areas of research provide practical insight into the policies and institutions that can support durable recovery.
My approach combines extensive fieldwork and qualitative research in Africa and the Western Balkans with quantitative and spatial analysis. I am particularly interested in how gender, local institutions, and land governance shape outcomes on the ground, and in translating those insights into analysis that is rigorous, context-sensitive, and useful to decision-makers.
