I’m a political scientist studying how and why people engage with information about political issues, and what this means for politics and policymaking around the world. I mainly use quantitative, computational, and experimental methods–augmented by qualitative interviews, focus groups, and content analysis.
Currently, I am an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Southampton, and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. From February 2027, I will be leading the project VISUALIZER: The Politics and Possibilities of Data Visualization for Democracy. VISUALIZER aims to find ways of telling factual stories using data and visualization in order to sustain public understanding and strengthen democracy in Europe and the Americas.
My publications have appeared in journals including Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, World Development, International Studies Quarterly, Political Communication, Journal of European Public Policy, New Media & Society, The International Journal of Press/Politics, Policy Studies Journal, and International Migration Review. I have also supported this agenda by securing funding as Principal or Co-Investigator on grants from UK research councils (ESRC and AHRC), the British Academy, and the World Bank among others.
Alongside my research, I am a Deputy Editor of the journal Migration Studies, and was previously an Associate Editor for the Journal of Refugee Studies (2021-24) and Evidence & Policy (2019-24). I also advocate for researchers as a member of the UK Young Academy, which is the national body for early-career leaders across sectors, and regularly mentor PhD students and postdocs via my professional associations with the European Political Science Society (EPSS), the American Political Science Association (APSA), and the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA).
Previously, I was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford while also affiliated with Nuffield College. I also worked at The Migration Observatory (2012-18) and the Centre on Migration, Policy, and Society (COMPAS, 2018-21) where I developed and led research into media portrayals of migration. I have also held a Fellowship by Examination at Magdalen College, Oxford (2018-20), and a Career Development Teaching Fellowship at St John’s College, Oxford (2020-21) where I was responsible for undergraduate students on the BA Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) degree.
My teaching practice has been informed and certified by a postgraduate certificate qualification from the University of Oxford as well as Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), which is the UK’s professional body for the higher education sector.
I welcome enquiries from researchers, potential students, and public users on any of the subjects mentioned in my profile. Get in touch at the address provided on the Contact page.
Photo Credit: David Fisher (Fisher Studios Ltd)/Nuffield College