I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida.  I received my Ph.D. in Political Science in 2019 from the University of California, San Diego. My research focuses on racial identity, political behavior, and representation in Latin America. In my current book project, I explore patterns of racial identification among Brazilian politicians, investigate barriers to Afro-Brazilian electoral success, and examine how the descriptive underrepresentation of Afro-descendants in Brazil's political arena influences policy outcomes.