In 2020 and 2021, I was a Lecturer at the University of Queensland’s School of Political Science and International Studies. I am currently and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham’s International Development Department.

The focal point of my research is the relationship between democratization and development. I am particularly interested in the role of political institutions (especially parliaments) in both of these processes, and the extent to which external/international actors affect democratization and development – both intentionally and unintentionally.

In 2019, I was part of a research team that won both the UK ESRC’s Celebrating Impact Prize for Outstanding International Impact and the Market Research Society President’s Medal. These prizes were awarded in recognition of our work on safeguarding elections and strengthening accountability in new democracies. You can find out more about the research that formed the basis of these awards, here.

I completed my PhD at McGill University (in Montreal) in 2016. My doctoral thesis examined the impact of budget support on parliaments and accountability in sub-Saharan Africa. I also have qualifications in law, from the Australian National University, and a Masters in Development Studies from Uppsala University in Sweden.