I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Law at the University of Texas at Tyler. My research interests include the history of constitutionalism, international political thought, and theories of sovereignty, the rule of law, and the state. My dissertation examined Weimar-era debates about the nature of political unity in the modern state, reconstructing Hermann Heller's state theory and placing it in critical dialogue with Carl Schmitt's constitutional theory. 

My research has been published in Political Research Quarterly and the Review of International Studies. It has also been supported by generous grants from the American Political Science Association, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Mercatus Center, and several institutes at the University of Notre Dame, including the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Liberal Arts, and the Graduate School. 

I received both my Ph.D. and M.A in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. I also hold a B.A. from Baylor University, where I studied Philosophy, Classics, and German through the University Scholars program.

Apart from my academic interests, I enjoy hiking, collecting records, and photographing wildlife and landscapes. A sample of my photos can be viewed here.