I am an Assistant Professor of Public Policy with the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. My research explores local elections, participatory governance, and disability rights in Latin America. These projects engage with broader debates about democratic representation in the Global South. My research has appeared in Comparative Political Studies and I received the Susan Clarke Young Scholars' Award from APSA's Urban and Local Politics Section.
For my teaching, I have received UVA’s All-University Teaching Award, UVA Student Council’s Teaching Award, the Batten School’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and Princeton University’s Graduate Teaching Award. At the Batten School, I teach courses on the politics of public policy, international development, and data visualization. I am serving as a Faculty Fellow with UVA’s Center for Teaching Excellence for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Before joining the Batten School, I was a Democracy Fellow with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School; a Visiting Fellow with the Kellogg Institute at Notre Dame; and a Quin Morton Teaching Fellow with the Princeton Writing Program. I received my PhD in Politics and Social Policy from Princeton University's Joint Degree Program in Social Policy.
I can be reached at pgj4d(at)virginia.edu.