Welcome
I am an Assistant Professor in the Professional Security Studies Department at New Jersey City University and serve as the Graduate Program Coordinator & Department Co-Chair. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Binghamton University and an MA in International Peace & Conflict Resolution from American University.
My research analyzes how and why governments and opposition groups use violence, particularly terrorism, to accomplish their goals and the implications their choices and interactions have on national & international security. I am most interested in two "big" questions. First, how terrorism is used as a tactic for radicalization, recruitment, and political mobilization. Second, how countries' domestic politics influences dissidents' tactics and violence. In a Monkey Cage post I show that the combination of changes in ‘the caliphate’ & French domestic politics explains the November 13, 2015 ISIS attack on Paris.
My research is published in International Organization, Terrorism and Political Violence, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, on Political Violence @ a Glance & Monkey Cage. I have several foreign policy and political analysis pieces published by Diplomatic Courier: A Global Affairs Magazine.
I primarily teach research related (Research Methods, ThesisII, Dissertation I & II) and security studies survey courses.
When not working, I'm at my boxing gym or off exploring NYC, Jersey City or the Hudson Valley with my wife & daughter.
