Matthew is an assistant professor of political science. He earned his Ph.D. from The University of Mississippi in 2014 and joined the University of South Carolina Upstate in August 2015. He teaches classes in comparative politics. Specifically, he teaches courses on democratic transitions and the regional politics of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. His research generally focuses on democratic transitions and the politics of non-democratic countries. He is particularly interested in the effect of the internet on public attitudes and behavior in new democracies and autocracies. He is published in the journal Democratization and has presented his work at numerous conferences.