He has two strains of research interests on natural resource politics as well as studying civil society, elections, and democracy. In particular, his dissertation centers upon how resource production affects the processes of regime change, regime diffusion, economic, and human development in natural resource transit countries. His published research focuses on the relationship between successive elections and democratization in post-communist space. He graduated from Sabanci University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social and Political Sciences. As an Alumni Fellow, he received his master’s degree and then completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of Florida.