I am Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Northern Arizona University. My research focuses on perpetrators of genocide and ethnocide, specifically in Native American and other Indigenous population groups, as well as settler colonialism in North America and Northern Europe. The development of perpetrator typologies and highlighting of colonial dynamics is of particular interest to me.
I strongly believe in the teacher-scholar model, which is why my research work directly impacts what I teach in the classroom. My teaching topics range from Native American/Indigenous topics, political sociology, race and ethnic relations, social stratification, to international relations theory, ideology, and research methods. It is of particular importance that students hone their critical thinking skills and observations when investigating issues, such as political theory or genocide as they affect different population groups.
I have lived in Flagstaff, Arizona since 2004 and have spent much of my professional life at Northern Arizona University. Originally, I came to NAU with a scholarship through the Federation of German American Clubs (VDAC). During my first year as an exchange student, I took several classes with an extraordinarily inspiring professor in political science, who inspired me to pursue political science as a graduate degree and a career. This led me to continue in the political science graduate program at NAU, which I completed in 2007 with a Master of Arts in political science. A decade and some professional occupations later, my passion for research brought me back to the university and I graduated from NAU with my PhD in political sciemce in 2017.