Welcome

I am an Associate Professor in International Relations at University College London's Department of Political Science. I previously worked in the Department of Political Science at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

My research examines the intersection of political violence, international economic organisations, and human rights violations.

My earlier research assessed the impact of international economic organisations on civil conflicts and human rights violations. I’m also interested in governments’ evasion of accountability for their human rights violations, especially the use of enforced disappearances. My current research examines how governments utilise distributional politics in the context of International Monetary Fund structural adjustment lending to favour their supporters and punish those who support their political opponents. The consequences of these distributional policy choices widen inequality and worsen protests by opposition supporters.

My first book, co-authored with David Cingranelli explored the human rights consequences of World Bank and IMF structural adjustment lending within the states. Currently, I’m working on my second book, co-authored with Bernhard Reinsberg which examines the effects of international economic organisations at the individual level in the context of distributional politics. 

My research is published by Cambridge University Press, Journal of Politics, Review of International Organisations, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and Journal of Human Rights amongst others. 

I am originally from Cardiff in South Wales and of British and Syrian heritage.  My undergraduate degree is in Politics and Modern History from Brunel University, University of London. I spent a couple of semesters at the State University of New York (SUNY) Brockport. As part of my undergraduate degree, I researched for an MP in the House of Commons, and a U.S. Senator in the United State Senate in Washington, D.C.  I received my graduate degrees in Political Science from University at Buffalo (M.A.) and Binghamton University (Ph.D).

Please feel free to contact me for any further information.