Her research and teaching interests include human rights, international organizations, and political violence and conflict, with a specific focus on state persecution of NGOs. Prior to joining Christopher Newport University, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and International Security at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University's Department of Political Science, an MA from the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago and a BA in History from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi.