I am an Associate Professor of History at Oregon State University, where I specialize in African history, colonial law, and the intersections of diplomacy, legality, and violence in nineteenth-century Sierra Leone. My first book, The Paradox of Protection: The Making of Indirect Rule in Southern Sierra Leone 1850-1915 (Michigan State University Press, 2025), examines how African leaders and British officials used the concept of protection to negotiate commerce, sovereignty, and authority on the imperial frontier. My broader research explores law, empire, and political life in West Africa, and I have published on topics ranging from detention and deportation to warfare and colonial courts. At OSU, I have been honored with awards for both my research and teaching, and I remain deeply committed to mentoring students and engaging in collaborative scholarship.