I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University (PhD Northwestern, 2015). My work concentrates on public opinion and political behavior, primarily, in the context of American politics.

I analyze how people form political preferences and what shapes political behavior. In several studies, I examine the extent to which political parties and elected officials manipulate public opinion and shape attitudes toward a range public policies. More recently, my research has focused on the effects of wrongful convictions for attitudes toward the death penalty and the criminal justice system. In other work, I examine how racial disparities in the justice system impact trust in police. ​ 

I have a related research agenda on the generalizability of experiments in the social sciences. My research has been supported by two TESS grants (an NSF funded organization), and competitively awarded university grants.

I have published my work in Political Behavior, Political Communication, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Experimental Political Science, Presidential Studies Quarterly, PS: Political Science & Politics, and the Policy Studies Journal. My research has been discussed in the Washington Post and has won an American Political Science Association Best Paper Award. I was named Appalachian State University's 2016-2017 Outstanding Professor for the College of Arts and Sciences.