Hi! I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Government at Harvard University. My research interests lie in state capacity, development, bureaucratic reform, and historical political economy.
I study the politics of state-building and bureaucratic reform. My core question is when and how downsizing government and streamlining bureaucracy can contribute to development. In addition, I am interested in the political economy of development in a broader sense, including pre-colonial institutions and modern infrastructure building, and I am conducting research on these topics.
Before Harvard, I received a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Statistics from the University of Michigan, graduating with highest honors in December 2025. My undergraduate thesis, “Bureaucratic Interests: Does Fiscal Decentralization Impede Efficient Governance?”, received the Marshall Sahlins Award for the best thesis in the social sciences and the Frank Grace Award for the best thesis in political science.
My work combines historical and archival research, causal inference, geographic analysis, and field research. I have presented my research at the APSA, IPSA and MPSA annual meetings.
Before turning to academia, I was a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. As COO, I oversaw the successful sale of a biotech company; as CEO, I founded another company that ultimately went bankrupt. Although I have since stepped away from the business world, I remain enthusiastic about startups developing wearable technology and brain–computer interfaces.