About

Hello and welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Georgia, with concentrations in International Relations and Political Methodology.

My research focuses on how concerns about status and recognition shape behavior in international human rights institutions, especially the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR). I study how governments engage in naming and shaming, how NGOs operate in restrictive environments, and how civil society adapts when civic space closes.

Methodologically, I employ quantitative models and AI-assisted data collection to improve the way we capture and analyze political data. I also co-lead the UPROSE Dataset project, which maps global NGO engagement in the UPR. My work has been published in journals such as International Interactions, with further studies under review in leading political science outlets.

Beyond research, I direct the NU Korean Studies Center and teach courses on NGO politics, international conflict, and research methods. In all of this, I aim to connect academic inquiry with practical insights into how states and civil society interact in shaping human rights outcomes.