Curriculum Vitae

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Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ph.D., Public Policy (Candidate) | Expected May 2026
  • Dissertation: “The Price of Elite Peace: A Dual-Arena Theory of Post-Conflict Violence”

    Dissertation Completion Fellow, International Studies Association (ISA)

    Saperstein Research Fellow, Wayne State University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

M.A., Global Studies | May 2021
  • Rotary Peace Fellow, The Rotary Foundation

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

M.A., Political Studies | May 2008
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Fellowship

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

B.A., Political Science | June 2003

Research

Peer-Reviewed Publications

“The Economic Spoiler’s Incentive: How Consent-Based Counternarcotics Policy Fueled Violence in Post- Conflict Colombia”.Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. November, 2025.

“Building Partner Capacity: US Aid to Security Sector Actors” (with Patricia Sullivan and Nathan Marx). Journal of Conflict Resolution. Volume 69, no. 6 (2025): 1033–1058.

“Rediscovering Europe? The Aid Dilemmas During and After the Plan Colombia” (with Francisco Gutierrez Sanin). Conflict, Security & Development. Volume 8, no. 1 (2008): 71-107.

Under Review

“Pacifying Elites, Endangering Communities: A Dual-Arena Theory of Post-Conflict Violence”.

In Progress
  • “Dual Arenas of Violence: Elite Bargaining, Local Insecurity, and the Conditions for Comprehensive Peace in Ongoing Civil Wars”
  • “Peace at the Center, Neglect at the Margins: A Synthetic Control Analysis of International Aid in Post-Agreement Colombia.”
  • “The Violent Spillover of Peace: Unintended Cross-Border Consequences of Peace Agreements in Colombia and Central America.”

Fellowships, Grants, & Honors

External

  • Dissertation Completion Fellowship, The International Studies Association, 2025
  • Research Fellowship, Saperstein Symposium, Wayne State University, 2025
  • Travel Grant ISA Conference 2026, The International Studies Association, 2025
  • Rotary Peace Fellowship, The Rotary Foundation, 2019-2021
  • Peace and Security Top-Level Global Seminar, SIDA, 2009

Internal

  • The Philip and Jane Hammer Fund for Public Policy, 2025
  • Experiential Learning Award, 2025
  • The Graduate Student Transportation Grant, 2025
  • Mellon Conference Travel Award, Institute for the Study of the Americas, 2024
  • Stephens Family Fund for Graduate Student Excellence, 2022
  • Professor Award for Outstanding Performance, Universidad Santo Tomas, 2009
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Fellowship, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2005-2007