I am a PhD researcher in Mass Communications at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a doctoral minor in Quantitative Methods. My research examines the legitimacy of scientific authority in democratic societies. 

I am particularly interested in how scientific authority is negotiated, challenged, and maintained in contemporary democracies and why some individuals and groups view scientific authority as more legitimate than others. 

To address these questions, my research focuses on key legitimacy-questioning orientations such as science populism, anti-intellectualism, “Do Your Own Research” (DYOR) beliefs, public trust and mistrust in science, and polarization. Across these domains, I examine how social position, cultural values, political identities, and communication processes – including media use, institutional messaging, and exposure to different information sources – shape public acceptance of, or challenges to, scientific authority. 

Methodologically, I specialize in quantitative social science research, including survey research, psychometric scale development, structural equation modeling, latent variable analysis, and causal inference. I am particularly interested in developing rigorous measurement instruments that advance the study of complex social and political phenomena. 

Much of my current research is conducted through collaborative, multi-investigator projects examining the political, social, and ideological dimensions of science. As a researcher on faculty-led project teams, I have contributed to major grant-funded work – including research supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Kavli Foundation. Additionally, I have also authored and secured competitive student research funding, including an award from the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

My broader goal is to produce research that strengthens evidence-based public discourse while advancing theory at the intersection of science, politics, and media. My long-term goal is to pursue a faculty career where I can continue advancing this research while mentoring the next generation of scholars.