Hi! I’m Edwina, a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and I will be on the academic job market in 2025–26.

My research focuses on LGBTQ+ politics, queer theory, authoritarianism, and East Asia. My dissertation compares outlier cases in Asia and Latin America to explain how different legal, political, and social contexts shape marriage equality. Alongside this work, I conduct experiments in the U.S. on how voters perceive LGBTQ+ candidates and the issues they are viewed as competent to represent. My scholarship has been supported by grants and fellowships including the SPARC Research Grant and the Dr. Richard Walker Fellowship.

Teaching is one of the most rewarding parts of my academic life. I have taught both introductory and advanced courses, from Intro to Global Politics to Comparative Politics . I emphasize active learning, accessibility, and connecting political science to students’ everyday experiences. With support from a Teaching Resource Development Grant, I am developing an online module on R and data literacy that will pilot in POLI 101 in Fall 2025.

I also value collaboration and professional service. I co-launched and chaired the inaugural Political Science Graduate Symposium at USC in March 2025, funded by the APSA Centennial Center and USC, creating a space for graduate students across the Southeast to connect and share their work. I am also part of the Comparative Political Regimes (CPR) Lab,  a joint initiative between USC and the University of Alabama examining authoritarianism and regime change.  

Beyond campus, I love traveling and learning from the cultures and stories I encounter along the way—see Queer Pic for photos I’ve taken on the road.