I am a political scientist at New York University Abu Dhabi. My research develops computational and AI-based methods for international relations, with current projects on alliance commitments, regime measurement, and crisis bargaining. My work appears in Political Analysis, International Studies Quarterly, International Interactions, and Democratization, and I am completing two book projects with Cambridge University Press. I teach courses on Foreign Policy Analysis, International Security, Introduction to International Politics, and Statistics/Data Analytics. Before joining NYUAD in 2019, I was an Assistant Professor of International Politics at Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Science (2018–2019), where I also served as a Member of the Executive Board at the Statistics Research Center(2018–2019). I was a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard University Department of Government (2013–2014) and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science (2016–2017).
A major focus of my recent research is developing novel methodological approaches to longstanding measurement challenges in political science. Using dynamic latent variable approaches, I focus on the measurement of latent concepts in international relations, such as regime uncertainty, alliance reputation, and states' willingness to use force in international crises, and unifying the measurement of important concepts in comparative politics such as regime types and regime transitions.
My current work focuses on developing innovative approaches to data collection through machine learning and AI, including novel applications of dynamic latent variable models to enhance retrieval augmented generation systems. My current research portfolio includes large-scale database projects focusing on deterrent and compellent threats and observable alliance behavior. My AI research is supported by Google's Gemini Academic Program Award.
I also collect public opinion data and conduct survey experiments on various topics in international security, including how voters evaluate leaders' use of coercive diplomacy, how accident claims and apologies affect crisis dynamics, and how perspective-taking interventions shape support for international disaster aid.
Contact
+971 2 6284857
Department of Political Science
A5-107, Saadiyat Island,
Abu Dhabi, UAE
USA: NYUAD, A5-107, PO Box 903
New York, NY 10276-0903