I am a doctoral candidate in Political Science at Vanderbilt University, with concentrations in Comparative and American Politics. My research lies at the intersection of comparative political behavior and political economy, with a specific emphasis on migration, identity politics, and democratic accountability in South Asia.

My dissertation – When Exit Subverts Voice: How Internal Migration Disrupts Political Accountability in The Hinterland,  examines how migration disrupts the microfoundations of the social contract between citizens and state in sending societies. My work triangulates observational, experimental, and qualitative approaches, using diverse data sources such as panel designs, original household surveys, experiments, focus groups, and immersive ethnographic fieldwork. My dissertation has received generous funding from the American Political Science Association, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and SurveyCTO.
 
My ongoing projects further explore questions related to migration and democracy in low- and middle-income countries. One project explores how migration informs intra-household differences in social norms, ethnic attachments, and political preferences among migrants and left-behind family members. Another probes the underlying sources of the divide in political responsiveness between elected officials belonging to majority and minority ethnic groups. A third project investigates how exposure to slow-onset disasters, such as recurrent floods and droughts, affects citizens' willingness to engage in collective action. 

Prior to graduate school, I worked for a survey research organization in New Delhi, where I supervised public opinion surveys across ten Indian states. I am currently affiliated with the Center for Global Democracy and LAPOP Lab at Vanderbilt University, which conducts the flagship AmericasBarometer among other public opinion studies in the Americas.

You can contact me at [email protected].