His research into civil war, military organization and effectiveness, and civil-military relations has appeared in Security Studies and Political Science Research and Methods and has been supported by organizations including the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at George Washington University, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the Smith Richardson Foundation. He received his PhD in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was an affiliate of the Security Studies Program. Previously, he worked for a USAID implementing partner, developing and managing assistance programs in Afghanistan and the Middle East.