Allison is a researcher and PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research analyzes interactions between foreign assistance and domestic politics, with a geographic focus on West Africa and the Sahel. You can read about her work on the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog.​

Her dissertation project analyzes coordination (or lack thereof) between providers of humanitarian assistance and host-country governments in the Sahel. She has conducted research in Guinea, Niger, Chad, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Her research has been supported by the West African Research Association, Organizing to Advance Solutions in the Sahel, and the UC Berkeley Center for African Studies.

Allison has also consulted for the International Rescue Committee and the World Bank on projects related to forced displacement in the Sahel. Before beginning the PhD, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea and worked for the Center for Global Development. Allison graduated from Barnard College with a BA in Political Science and Human Rights Studies.