Race. Gender. Religion. Identity. Behavior. Politics.

Race, as a social construction, is part of the fabric of the American political project. I am a Political Scientist focused on understanding how members of communities who have their group identity shaped by stereotypes and racial markers (e.g. : racialized), make sense of their political environment. The relationship between racialized identities and political behavior; how individual’s identities influence their policy preferences are questions with deep implications for the future of marginalized communities in the United States and beyond.

I explore these questions through my formal training in Public Policy and as a Political Scientist. I am an Assistant Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at Michigan State University.

I completed my post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University. I attained my doctoral degree in Political Science from Duke University, with a first field in behavior and identities; and second field in race and ethnic politics. My training at Duke also included the completion of the Graduate Certificate in African and African-American Studies. I was the Anne Firor Public Scott Fellow and led the Race Workshop in collaboration with the department of Sociology. I attained my Master in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, as a Belfer IGA and Women and Public Policy Fellow. I completed my B.A. from the Honors College at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

I have published in journals such as California Law Review, Politics and Gender; Politics Groups and Identities and written select book chapters. You may find links to these publications on my publications page.

I am also deeply curious about the connection between these issues within the public policy space. Professionally, I have worked within the public policy arena, namely as Research Director at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. My public policy interests and work involve civil rights, voting rights, and policies that affect immigrants. I have collaborated with organizations such as New American Leaders, a non-profit focused on assisting first and second-generation immigrants to run for elected office. I was the principal investigator for our 2020 States of Representation report, which you may find here.

My subjects of interest include Black Americans, Muslims, immigrants, and women of color in the United States. My book manuscript examines Muslims in the U.S.A. and investigates how a faith-based community with a diverse collective of sub-groups draws on religious belief as a psychological resource to politically mobilize. My CV, linked research articles offer more insight to what I spend my time working upon.