Research & CV

Academic Appointments

University of California, Santa Barbara, Teaching Assistant/Associate, Department of Political Science, 2017–present
Defense Language and National Security Education Office, Boren Fellow, 2024-present
Mercatus Center, Carl Menger Fellow, 2024-present
Mercatus Center, Adam Smith Fellow, 2023-2024
Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies, Graduate Fellow, 2022-2023

University of California, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. Political Science, In-Progress
University of California, Santa Barbara, M.A. Political Science, 2020
University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A. International Studies, French, 2015

“Measuring Influence: A New Index of Chinese Economic Engagement in Africa.” (Forthcoming). The African Review.
“The Effectiveness of Smart Sanctions: Examining Divergent Outcomes in Myanmar and Zimbabwe.” 2024. Journal of Asian and African Studies: 0(0). Co-authored with George Tsouloufas.
"The Determinants of Growing Economic Inequality within Advanced Democracies." 2023. International Review of Economics: 1-19.
"Revisiting the effectiveness of economic sanctions in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine." 2023. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: 1-16. Co-authored with George Tsouloufas.
- Recognized for the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal’s 2023 Best Paper Award
"Primitive Accumulation and Multinational Corporations: The Evolution of Dispossession and Exploitation in the Rubber Industry." 2022. The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development: Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 7.
“The Consequences of Growing Economic Inequality within Advanced Democracies: A Review Essay.” 2022. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies: Vol. 17: Iss. 2, 49-64.
“A Crisis of Globalization: A Review Essay.” 2021. Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 2.

Real Clear World

“Beijing Has a Vision for the Global South. What about Washington?”
Fletcher Forum of World Affairs
“Chinese investment in Ghana is entering a new stage”
Africa at LSE Blog
“The U.S. Must Be “All in” on Africa for the Long Haul”
The National Interest
“Opinion – The War in Ukraine and Food Security in Africa”
E-International Relations
“Why the American Public is Less Polarized on Foreign Policy”
The Foreign Policy Project
“Doubling Down on Multi-Ethnic Democracy”
Diplomatic Courier
“China’s Growing Dominance in Maritime Shipping”
The Diplomat
“The Special Economic Zone as a New Model of Economic Development”
Modern Diplomacy
Under Review
“Introducing an Eight-Category Typology of Chinese Investment in Africa: The Case of Ghana”
“Evaluating Guanxi as an Emerging Concept in International Relations Theory”
"Evaluating the Hegemony of the U.S. Dollar: Challenges from the Renminbi, BRICS, and Cryptocurrencies"
“The Role of Chinese Firms in West Africa’s Maritime Ports”
Working Papers
“Beyond Competition: How China and Europe AreWorking Together to Support the Expansion of West African Ports”
“Worker Satisfaction and Chinese Firms in Africa: Insights from CHEC in Côte d’Ivoire”
Book Manuscript
Anchoring Influence: China's Growing Role in Africa’s Ports (In Progress)