My research and teaching interests broadly focus on the cultural connections that structure political change in global systems and states. In particular, my book manuscript examines how ethnic group coherence structures secessionist outcomes and civil war following state collapse. This work has been supported by several sources, including Fulbright, the American Councils of Learned Societies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
I also apply my work on cultural connections to examine identity politics in the United States, including projects focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in both higher education and climate change adaptation. This work has been generously funded by NSF and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The nature of my work takes me to numerous places, including extensive time conducting research in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. I have also taken short-term courses at the University of California – Berkeley and Lomonosov Moscow State University. Prior to coming to Iowa State I was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Conflict Resolution Institute at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies.