Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at the University of South Alabama. I earned my PhD in political science from the University of Iowa. 

I study poverty and public policy in the United States, with particular attention to social welfare and health. My research examines how experiences with public policies shape the political lives of economically disadvantaged populations and, in turn, their engagement with politics and the state.

My research has been published or is forthcoming in Policy Studies Journal, Political Research Quarterly, JAMA Health Forum, Electoral Studies, Social Science Quarterly, Representation, and the Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, and has been supported by a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant from the American Political Science Association and the National Science Foundation.