Welcome!

I am a first-year PhD student in Political Science at Brown University, specializing in international relations and comparative politics. My research examines the political economy of conflict, with particular focus on natural resource markets, illicit financing, and grand corruption.

My theoretical interests center on the varied relationships between licit and illicit economic orders, particularly the enablers who provide legal, financial, and logistics services to facilitate trade and money laundering. Key questions driving my research include: Where does authority in illicit markets reside? What are the mechanisms of arbitrage between legal and illegal economies?

My work is grounded in extensive fieldwork experience in Southeast Asia. Prior to starting my PhD, I spent six years in Cambodia and Myanmar collaborating with local researchers and civil society organizations to investigate the political dimensions of environmental conflicts and shadow economic networks. These experiences shaped my commitment to promoting expertise from on-the-ground participants.

As a research consultant for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), I co-authored reports analyzing transnational money laundering networks and scam compounds in Southeast Asia. I also published work on climate-induced conflicts and sanctions evasion in international timber markets.

I am fluent in spoken Khmer and proficient in its script, which has enabled me to conduct primary source research and interviews.

Education

• MA in Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame (Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies)
• BA in Sociology and Peace and Conflict Studies, Goshen College