She earned her MA and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her BA from East Carolina University. Her research focuses on terrorism and insurgency, particularly the effect of factionalization of a violent non-state actor on bargaining and conflict processes among non-state actors and between a non-state actor and a state. She is a member of the American Political Science Association, Peace Science Society (International), Midwest Political Science Association, International Studies Association, and Women in Conflict Studies. She has a forthcoming article (with Mark J. C. Crescenzi and Christine Carpino) in Conflict Management and Peace Science. She and her husband are both from North Carolina, and are excited to experience life in a large city. They enjoy visiting museums, locally owned shops and restaurants, microbreweries, and say they cannot wait to visit the zoo.