I am a Full Professor of Political Science at Laval University in Quebec, Canada whose Interdisciplinary Research Center on Africa and the Middle East (CIRAM) I co-founded and directed from 2013 to 2019.

My research interests include comparative democratization, State and institutional development, political dynasties, Islam and politics, conflicts and education in West and Central Africa. My work has been published or is forthcoming in the following journals and handbooks: African Affairs, Mediterranean Politics, Canadian Journal of African Studies, Politique africaine, Critique internationale, Cahiers d’études africaines, Recherches féministes, Revue Internationale de Politique Comparée, the Handbook of African Sahel, the Handbook on Opposition Politics, Africa Yearbook.

I have two book projects underway: one on Islam and Politics in Senegal—Political Transition and Institutional Change—and another on Political Dynasties in Comparative Perspective.

I have been awarded funding for my research from multiple sources, including the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Quebec Research Council (FRQSC), French Research National Agency (ANR), Alliance Program, Francophone University Agency (AUF) and Global Affairs Canada.

I received my MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris, France). I received my BA in Political Science from Sciences-Po Paris (France).