Biography

My general research interests include political behaviour and party politics. In my dissertation I explore the determinants of attitudes towards the European Union in the new Member States, with a particular focus on the interplay between domestic and EU-level factors.
I am also interested in the role of political corruption in shaping public attitudes, the relationship between populism, Euroscepticism and extreme-right politics, and the Europeanization of parties and party systems.
I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, and I expect to complete my Ph.D. in August 2010. While in graduate school, I have also taught a number of courses in comparative politics and served as a teaching assistant for others. I have also taught an upper-level course at the California University of Pennsylvania. Prior to my Ph.D., I earned a B.A. in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College.