He received his Ph.D. in Politics from New York University in 2013, and was previously a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. His research examines why individuals participate in political violence, why groups fight, and the political and psychological effects of exposure to violence. As part of his research, he has conducted extensive fieldwork and survey research in Israel, Mexico, and Turkey. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and has appeared or is forthcoming in Electoral Studies, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and the American Political Science Review.