Welcome! I am a Postdoctoral Scholar in the University of Zurich’s Department of Communication & Media Research (IKMZ). My research is focused on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by motivated actors for the purpose of influencing voter perceptions and electoral outcomes. I am currently working on several projects looking at how elections serve as consensus signals for citizens living under authoritarian regimes as well as how governments use new forms of disinformation and propaganda.

In addition to my research, I have worked as a Research Assistant Professor at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub, as a Research Associate at the UW’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP) and as Graduate Fellow for the Center for Environmental Politics and Political Economy Forum. I am also an affiliate of the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP).

Prior to obtaining my PhD from Political Science Department at the University of Washington I worked as an analyst for NGOs addressing a range of developmental challenges ranging from health and education to youth entrepreneurship. I have worked, lived, and conducted research across sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

An overview of current and future projects can be found on the following pages:

• Political Misinformation

• Technology, Democracy and Violence

• Authoritarian Politics

• Politics and Popular Culture

Recent Publications:

“Generative propaganda: Evidence of AI’s impact from a state-backed disinformation campaign” (PNAS Nexus, 2025) with Carl Ehrett, Darren Linvill, & Patrick Warren.

“ElectionRumors2022: A Dataset of Election Rumors on Twitter During the 2022 U.S. Midterms” (Journal of Quantitative Description, 2025) with Joseph Schafer, Kayla Duskin, Stephen Prochaska, S., Anna Beers, Lia Bozarth, Taylro Agajanian, Mike Caulfield, Emma Spiro & Kate Starbird.

“Social Truth Queries as a Novel Method for Combating Electoral Misinformation: Evidence from Kenya” (International Journal of Press/Politics, 2024) with Maddy Jalbert