I am an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of British Columbia. Before joining UBC, I was a Justitia Amplificata Postdoctoral Fellow at Goethe Universität Frankfurt and Freie Universität Berlin (2017-2018) and an Assistant Professor of Political Theory and Gender at the University of Amsterdam (Tenured in December 2020).

2025/2026:

POLI345: Feminist Theories

POLI341: Rethinking Political Concepts: Democracy, Justice, Speech, and Citizenship

POLI448D/547B: Democratic Theory*

* Undergraduates interested in the class must contact me beforehand with a sample of writing and their transcript.

Please note that the syllabi are subject to change. Only the version on canvas will be the authoritative one. 

Democratic Theory and Practice: democratic innovations; role of facilitation and games in deliberation; systemic approaches to deliberation and democracy

Structural and Historical Injustice: the ongoing practices of dispossession, oppression, exploitation, and erasure in nominally democratic countries

Gender, Race, and Disability: the effects of positional inequality on democratic practices including deliberation, representation, and social movements.

Methodology: data-sensitive political theory focused on harnessing quantitative research data as well as experiments to develop more empirically grounded democratic theories; critical political theory; realist political theory

For all publications, see my Google Scholar page.

I currently have several working papers and manuscripts under review (including collaborative work with both former MA and current PhD students), covering topics such as experimental approaches to deliberative democracy and inequality, the dynamics of deliberative campaigns, the role of facilitation and games in deliberation, the use of coded language in democratic politics, as well as the role and effect of policing in democratic systems. Other ongoing projects address the boundary problem in settler colonial contexts, the function of enclaves in democratic systems, and the ethics of democratic renewal.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these projects, I am happy to share further details upon request, where possible.

I am eager to supervise students interested in critical and realist approaches to democratic theory, especially power inequalities stemming from historical injustices, absence of children in democratic imaginaries, ongoing marginalizations based on gender, race, and ability, and settler colonialism.

Note to prospective students: I receive a great number of emails from prospective students. Please be aware that I only respond to inquiries from students whose research interests closely align with my areas of expertise. If you do not receive a reply, it is likely because the research interests described in your email do not match my current focus.

Current graduate students:

Addye Susnick (PhD, 2019-) Trans Joy and Community Care

Keanna Brown (MA, 2024-)

Saskia Tholen (MA, 2024-)

Past graduate students: