I am a historian of the 20th- and 21st-century United States. My research focuses on the U.S. national security state and on how different concepts of national security have shaped the United States and the country’s relationship with the world. My first book, The Contest over National Security: FDR, Conservatives, and the Struggle to Claim the Most Powerful Phrase in American Politics, explores the high-stakes political fight over the meaning of “national security” during the Roosevelt and Truman presidencies.
In addition to my historical work, I also have active research and writing projects focused on national security policymaking. I am particularly interested in exploring ways to improve national security decision-making, drawing on the insights of cognitive psychology and other related fields.
I love to teach. It’s why I left my career working in national security and foreign policy in the U.S. government and joined the faculty at the University of Utah.