Welcome to my website!

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada). My research interests broadly include informality in international relations, intrastate conflict, non-state political entities, conflict management and legitimacy. More specifically, I investigate the relationships between de facto state legitimacy, nation-building and state stability, and international interactions. My dissertation research seeks to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the external legitimacy of de facto states and the actions they take to survive.

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I am the Editorial Assistant for the new English-language editorial team of the Canadian Journal of Political Science/ Revue canadienne de science politique.  I am also a Research Associate within the Informality Research Lab, a SSHRC-funded project on informality in global governance led by Dr. Thomas Tieku at King's University College.

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I also have experience as the instructor of record and teaching assistant in areas related to international relations, international development, and secession and ethnic conflict.

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Please use the links at the top of the page to access more information about my research and teaching, as well as a complete curriculum vitae. You can reach me by email at mpayler@uwo.ca or on Twitter.