I am a PhD candidate (ABD) in Political Science and Program for Empirical International Relations (PEIR) Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Pennsylvania State University. My primary fields of research are International Relations and Comparative Politics. I was previously educated at Central Michigan University, where I received an M.A. in Political Science (2016) and B.S. in Political Science and Religion (2014).

My research primarily focuses on coercive institutions, civilian victimization (sexual violence in particular), and civil war. My dissertation examines how the structure of political and coercive institutions influences the propensity of state security forces and rebel groups to perpetrate sexual violence against civilians. My theory focuses on how institutional accountability and gender can influence the propensity to perpetrate sexual violence.

My research has appeared in International Studies Quarterly, receiving the Raymond E. Lombra and Roberta Lombra Outstanding Graduate Research Award in the College of Liberal Arts at Penn State.

I have also served as a Research Assistant for the During Conflict Justice Project and Editorial Assistant for Public Opinion Quarterly. I am currently the Graduate Student Advisor for Political Science Horizons at Penn State, a mentorship program for first-year undergraduate students that also seeks to serve historically underrepresented groups by helping them lay the foundation for a strong academic and professional career at Penn State.

You can contact me at cpw19@psu.edu.