I am the Political Science Board of Visitors Early Career Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science at Pennsylvania State University and a Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). My research is motivated by a desire to better understand and contribute to the prevention of violent conflict and the violation of human rights. I am particularly interested in the political impacts of judicial institutions and how they can be used for good or for evil.

My current work focuses on rebel judicial systems and how they function during and after armed conflict. I study the ways that justice processes can be used for good or for evil through political consolidation, political exclusion, social reconciliation, and narrative construction by both governments and rebel groups.

I have looked at these issues through field work in East Africa, primarily Rwanda and Uganda, as well as Mozambique, Northern Ireland, Turkey, and Nepal. I am also the co-creator of the Post-Conflict (PCJ) and During-Conflict Justice (DCJ) Datasets.

Developing ethical best practices for research on armed conflict is central to my work. I focus my attention on research-related trauma for scholars and in-country research team members.

Through a new project on alternative forms of governance and climate change, I engage questions of contested sovereignty and rule-making in times of crisis. Our current work is focused on contested governance in Mozambique.

Kathleen Cunningham and I co-convene the Rebel Governance Network. Join us!