I’m a researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). I completed my PhD in Political Science at the University of Toronto.
I study how autocrats employ and justify repression in polarized contexts and ensure the political control of key social groups during economic downturns. My dissertation research is about how and why autocrats financially coerce their closest business allies during sovereign debt crises. I also contribute to the computational and experimental methodological tools in political science research. My co-authored papers are published in high-impact academic journals such as Comparative Politics and Sociological Methods & Research.
Previously, I was the co‑founder of a Toronto‑based political risk consultancy company, Maidan Analytics, which leverages open data to forecast protests and elections. Before my doctoral studies, I co‑founded two social impact initiatives. One based in Montreal advocated for social inclusion in the design of smart cities. The other, based in Istanbul, mobilized more than 30 stakeholder organizations in six countries across the MENA region to foster youth employment in the region.
During my doctoral studies, I was a graduate associate at POSTCOR Lab, a Trudeau Centre Fellow at the Munk School, a fellow at Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, and a Regional Manager at Digital Society Project. I’m also an alum of Massey College.
You may also find me occasionally singing at open mic events.