I am a Ph.D. Student in Political Science at the University of Maryland, College Park, specializing in American political institutions and computational methods. My research examines how information flows through Congress and the bureaucracy, focusing on how members of Congress acquire, adapt, and communicate expert knowledge. My work also explores legislative capacity, constituency responsiveness, and elected officials' strategic behavior under competitive partisanship conditions.  Methodologically, I use a combination of text analysis, experimental designs, and network analysis. I received a B.S. in Political Science from Towson University. Outside academia, I have experience in athletic leadership and nonprofit volunteer organizing, and am a huge college basketball fan.