About me
I am a Bulgarian-born naturalized American citizen. I hold a Political Science Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and have been teaching at Regent University since 2015. My current research interests are in the interaction between religion and politics. I have taught a variety of courses in the fields of Comparative Politics, International Relations and Research Methods. I live in Virginia Beach, VA with my wife and two children. I enjoy playing soccer, hiking and resistance training.
Selected publications
2025 "What Can Caesar Render Unto God?" in Liberty, September/October issue
2023 “The Influence of State Favoritism on Established Religions and Their Competitors” in Politics and Religion 16.1, pp. 129-159. Ted Jelen Award winner, APSA Religion and Politics section.
2022 “Ethnic minority party formation and success in Europe” in East European Politics 38.1, pp. 83-100.
2019 “Not Taking it on Faith: State and Religious Influences on European Court of Human Rights Judges in Freedom of Religion Cases” in Journal of Human Rights 18.2, pp. 184-200.
2019 “Why Ethnic Parties? A New Theory of Ethnic Minority Political Strategy in Europe” in Nations and Nationalism 25.1, pp. 229-297.
2015 “Interactive Party Effects on Electoral Performance: How Ethnic Minority Parties Aid the Populist Right in Central and Eastern Europe” in Party Politics 21.4, pp. 649-59.