Welcome!

I am a final-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science at University College London. My research primarily focuses on the intersection between politics and education and is motivated by two central questions: why do states provide education, and how does education shape political behavior?

My dissertation examines the politics of higher education, seeking to understand what motivates politicians to expand and restrict access to higher education. I use both quantitative and qualitative methods, and draw on insights from original archival work across universities in the U.S. Ultimately, I find that the Cold War transformed higher education into a tool of geopolitical competition, driving politicians to expand access to higher education across the globe.

Before joining UCL, I worked in education policy and international development. I also completed an MPP in Inequality and Social Policy from the University of California, San Diego and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics & Political Science. You can download my CV here.

Research

Book Chapters

Latin America’s Education Systems in Comparative Perspective, 1945-2021: Patterns and Puzzles (with Agustina S. Paglayan). In J.A. Bogliaccini & A. Madariaga (Eds.), Skills, Values, and Development: The Political Economy of Education in Latin America. Oxford University Press, 2025.

Working Papers

An education arms race? The political origins of mass higher education (Revise & resubmit).

Reconstruction or social control? Primary education provision in post-conflict Rwanda.

Selected Works in Progress

The political economy of education quality: Lessons from the ‘Finnish miracle’ (with Agustina S. Paglayan).

Democracy under siege: Wartime restrictions and their legacies (with Kristin M. Bakke).

Teacher unions and women’s political participation: Evidence from Greece (with Ioanna Gkoutna).