I am an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Merced and a research affiliate at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) and UC Merced’s Center for Analytic Political Engagement (CAPE). Broadly, my research examines the role that cognition and learning play in strategic decision-making. This includes questions such as:

• Do experienced political professionals think about strategic dilemmas—such as cooperation and bargaining—differently than members of the general public? If so, how does this affect the prospects for cooperation in areas where these political elites are the primary decision-makers, such as international trade and climate policy?
• How do decision-makers use reputation to learn about other individuals with whom they might cooperate? And, how does this affect behavior across the large number of settings where reputations are relevant—including everything from electoral politics to international alliance formation?
• How do individuals with limited attention and cognition make choices in strategic games? And, how can we use this knowledge to improve collective decision-making in democracies?

• CV
• Email
• Scholar

Publications

Group Decision-making in Games

Elite Decision-making

Reputation and Information

Evolutionary Learning and Cooperation