Research
My research is rooted in American political behavior and political parties with specific interests in the role racial-ethnic, religious, and partisan social identities play in shaping political participation and polarization; and a particular focus on the politics of trauma. I primarily use quantitative statistical and experimental methods, but have training in mixed methods research as well. The goal of my research is to give political scientists, students, governments, policymakers, and nonprofits the tools to explain and better understand politics in an era of partisan polarization. My research has been published or is forthcoming in the American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, American Politics Research, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. Please also see my working papers and works in progress.
Substantively, my published and in progress research explores: 1) how Americans construct and interpret their own political identity through racial-ethnic and religious lenses and how this impacts candidate assessment, political participation, and attitude-development; and 2) the psychological processes involved in political decision-making in increasingly uncertain and polarized environments.
Methodologically, my research investigates how to account for missing data among non-White respondents in survey design and in post-survey statistical analysis. Specifically, I explore how survey language, country of birth, and time in the U.S. influence patterns of missingness among Latinx and Asian-American respondents and how well multiple imputation and other modeling solutions can correct bias from such patterns.
My book project, The Politics of Trauma: Mass Tragedies in Polarized America, is based on my dissertation and examines the political behavioral and attitudinal consequences of traumatic events and how American political parties structure responses to traumatic events in a polarized environment. Rooted in the concern over growing partisan polarization and the increasing role of trauma in American politics, my research seeks to explain how American political parties, elected officials, candidates, and the mass public adapt to changing societal and environmental conditions.