I am an associate professor in the department of political science. My research explores how international institutions influence human and interstate security. I show that international law and organizations help actors give up the use of violence and commit to peace agreements. My 2019 book with Lisa Hultman and Jacob Kathman reveals the effectiveness of UN peacekeepers in mitigating violence. My ongoing research explores why countries support United Nations peacekeeping. I also investigate the conditions under which countries improve their commitments to human rights agreements. In 2022, I completed a Fulbright fellowship at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, Norway.

As an employee of the University of Colorado, I honor and acknowledge that its four campuses are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pueblo, and Shoshone Nations. Further, I acknowledge the 48 contemporary tribal nations historically tied to the lands that comprise what is now called Colorado.

I support undocumented students, staff, and their families.