Professional Bio

Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University, her masters in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland and her Ph.D. in Political Science with a certification in Women’s and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. Before entering academia, she worked in Strategic Communications for the government in Canada.

Her work focuses on the intersections of gender, race, parenthood and voter behavior in American and Canadian politics. Her research integrates a multimethod approach, including survey experiments, text analysis, and in-depth case study work.

Her doctoral research investigates the strategic value of motherhood appeals for congressional candidates and addresses whether motherhood serves as a universally beneficial campaign strategy. Currently she is extending her dissertation research into a book project during her postdoctoral fellowship.