ICST: International Center for the Study of Terrorism

John G. Horgan

BRYAN D. CARTER

Assistant to the Director

Mr. Carter is Assistant to the Director of ICST. Prior to his current position, he spent four years in the US Navy as a Cryptologic Technician with Top Secret (TS/SCI) security clearance. He provided real-time threat analysis and created and administered training programs to prepare junior personnel for high-stress work environments aboard submarines. He holds a B.S. in Labor Employment Relations from Penn State.

bdc151@psu.edu

Seiner

MACHELLE L. SEINER

Administrative & Financial Coordinator

Ms. Seiner is the Administrative and Financial Coordinator at ICST who serves as the point of contact for project sponsors and manages all administrative functions and financial operations of ICST. She is a twenty-year Penn State staff veteran who recently obtained her certification as a Penn State Research Administrator. Ms. Seiner has held previous positions as a Psychology Department Financial and Clinical Training Assistant, an Undergraduate Assistant in Meteorology, and was the Lead Data Entry Coordinator in the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

mls5@psu.edu

KATE E. SLAVENS

Research Project Manager

Ms. Slavens is the Research Project Manager at ICST who coordinates Center activities, dissemination of research, and outreach. She previously served as a development officer in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development and School of Nursing. In addition to her time at Penn State, she spent two years in Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Ms. Slavens holds an M.P.A. from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs as well as a B.A. in Writing and French from the University of Evansville.

kes37@psu.edu

MIA M. BLOOM

Center Fellow

Dr. Bloom is Associate Professor of International Studies and Women’s Studies at Penn State. She is a leading expert on suicide terrorism and is the author of Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror (2005). In addition to her research on terrorism, Dr. Bloom conducts research on ethnic conflict, the strategic use of rape in war, and child soldiers. Her most recent book, Bombshell: The Many Faces of Women Terrorists, was published by Penguin in 2011. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Russian and Middle East Studies from McGill University.

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mub27@psu.edu

CHRISTOPHER H. GRIFFIN

Center Fellow

Dr. Griffin is currently the Department Head of the Convergence Studies Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at The Pennsylvania State University where he also teaches Game Theory and Optimization in the Department of Mathematics.

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cxg286@psu.edu

SAMUEL T. HUNTER

Center Fellow

Dr. Hunter is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Industrial and Organizational program area at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in I/O Psychology from the University of Oklahoma in 2007. Dr. Hunter has published more than 50 publications in outlets such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and the Creativity Research Journal. He currently serves on the editorial board for the Leadership Quarterly and the Journal of Creative Behavior. He has received funding from a range of sponsors, including the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.

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samhunter@psu.edu

MICHAEL C. KENNEY

Center Fellow

Dr. Kenney is Associate Professor of International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an expert in organization theory, international security, and illicit non-state actors, including drug traffickers and terrorists. Dr. Kenney has held research fellowships with the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and the Center for International Studies at the University of Southern California. He is the author of From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation (2007). His published work has also appeared in Survival, Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Global Crime, and the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, among other publications. Dr. Kenney recently conducted research on Islamist activism in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Morocco and is currently involved in ICST’s research project on Competitive Adaptation in Terrorist Networks. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida.

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mkenney@pitt.edu

SINFREE B. MAKONI

Center Fellow

Dr. Makoni is Associate Professor African Studies and Applied Linguistics at The Pennsylvania State University. He is a Pan-Africanist and has worked in a number of institutions in Africa. Prior to Penn State, Dr. Makoni was the Dubois-Mandela-Rodney Fellow at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He has extensive professional experience in Southern Africa, including Chair of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape and Associate Professor of Language and Literature at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He was also a faculty member at Long Island University. He is the former president of the Southern African Applied Linguistics Association, an Executive Board member of the International Applied Linguistics Association, and the co-chair of African Applied Linguistics and Literacy. Some of his publications include a monograph on “Colonial and Postcolonial Language Policies in the Sudan” (2011, Current Issues in Language Planning 2011), “Language and Ageing in Multilingual Contexts” (2005, Multilingual Matters). He has published in Language in Society, Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, The Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, and Language Sciences. Dr. Makoni is a native of Southern Africa, completed his undergraduate work in Ghana, and holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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sbm12@psu.edu

BRYAN L. MCDONALD

Center Fellow

Dr. McDonald is Assistant Professor of History at Penn State. His research focuses on recent American environmental history and environmental studies with a particular focus on the ways interactions between humans and the environment have changed the landscape of political and security challenges facing the United States since the end of World War II. His first book, Food Security, explored how understandings of world food problems shifted during the late twentieth century. He is currently at work on a book project that examines the environmental history of the American food system from 1945 to 2000. He is also the co-editor of two books that examine challenges to human security: Global Environmental Change and Human Security and Landmines and Human Security: International Politics and War’s Hidden Legacy. His articles and reviews have appeared in Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, The Environmental Change and Security Project Report, Global Environmental Politics, Environment, and The Natural Resources Journal among others. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.A. in Political Science from Virginia Tech and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs at the University of California, Irvine.

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blm26@psu.edu

JAMES A. PIAZZA

Center Fellow

Dr. Piazza is Associate Professor of Political Science at Penn State. His research examines political, economic, social, and religious factors that predict patterns of terrorism using quantitative analysis. His published work has investigated poverty as a cause of terrorism, failed states as incubators of terrorism, whether or not democracies experience less or more terrorism, and the relationship between human rights and terrorism. He has also studied the effects of religious ideology and group organizational features on suicide and high-casualty terrorist attacks. His work has appeared in the Journal of Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Comparative Political Studies, Security Studies, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from New York University and an M.A. in Middle East Studies from the University of Michigan.

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jpiazza@psu.edu

PHILIP A SCHRODT

Center Fellow

Dr. Schrodt is Professor of Political Science at Penn State. Prior to coming to Penn State in 2010, he taught for twenty-one years at the University of Kansas, where he chaired the development of the university’s multidisciplinary programs in international studies. He also taught for eleven years at Northwestern University, where he helped develop programs on mathematical methods in the social sciences. Dr. Schrodt's major areas of research are quantitative models of political conflict and computational political methodology. His current research focuses on predicting political change using statistical and pattern recognition methods, research that has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the U.S. government's multi-agency Political Instability Task Force. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and an M.A. in Mathematics and from Indiana University.

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schrodt@psu.edu

XAVIER RAUFER

Center Fellow

Dr. Raufer is the Director of Studies and Research in the Department for the Study of the Contemporary Criminal Menace at the University Panthéon-Assas in Paris. In addition, he is an Associate Professor at the Chinese People’s Public Security University and Beijing Political Sciences and Law University in Beijing and Shenyang, China. Dr. Raufer is the author and co-author of numerous books and articles on criminology and terrorism in the French language. These include Quelles guerres après Oussama ben Laden (Which Wars After Osama Bin Laden) (2011), Les Nouveaux Dangers Planétaires (The New Planetary Dangers) (2009), La Camorra, une mafia urbaine (The Camorra, an Urban Mafia) (2005), and Le grand réveil des mafias (The Great Awakening of Mafias) (2003). Dr. Raufer is also a frequent editorialist on criminal and terrorism matters for several websites and weekly magazines, including the Huffington Post (French edition), Atlantico, and Le Nouvel Économiste. He holds a doctorate in geography and geopolitics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne and a master’s degree in geopolitics and terrorism studies from the University of Marne-la-Vallée.

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xr@xavier-raufer.com

MAX TAYLOR

Center Fellow

Prof. Taylor is a retired Professor of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He is a forensic and legal psychologist, with interests and experience in counter terrorism, psychological issues related to terrorists and terrorism, the Internet crime and terrorism, and more generally applied criminology. Prior to St. Andrews, Prof. Taylor was Professor of Applied Psychology at University College, Cork, Ireland from 1983–2006. He is the author of ten books and numerous academic journal articles, mainly in the area of terrorism studies and child protection and the Internet, and is currently editor of Terrorism and Political Violence. He has served on a number of UK, EU, and Irish Government Committees related to terrorism and Internet crime, including the Government of Ireland Internet Advisory Board. He was a consultant to the UNICEF Special Representative to the Former Yugoslavia from 1993–96.

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MARY BETH ALTIER

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Altier is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ICST and Project Manager on “Pathways, Process, Roles, and Factors for Terrorist Disengagement, Re-Engagement, and Recidivism” (PI John Horgan). She is interested in the study of political violence, political behavior, nationalism, and ethnic conflict. Her doctoral dissertation, “Voting for Violence” investigates the reasons why civilians decide to support paramilitary organizations and the political parties with which they are often affiliated. Dr. Altier holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University and a B.A. in Mathematics and History from Drew University.

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mea16@psu.edu

LILY CUSHENBERY

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Cushenbery is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ICST and Project Manager on "Modeling and Assessing Multiple Cultural Perspectives," ICST's collaboration with the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Dr. Cushenbery holds a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Penn State University and a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Fresno. Her areas of interest include leaders overcoming failures and the creation of innovative teams. Her primary research examines the impact of leaders’ mistakes on leader-follower relationships. She also explores the impact of team member influence, team climate, and malevolence on creativity.

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lzp117@psu.edu

KURT H. BRADDOCK

Research Associate

Dr. Braddock is a Research Associate at ICST and Project Manager on “Competitive Adaptation in Terrorist Networks” (PI John Horgan). He is interested in the communicative processes, particularly those related to persuasion, that contribute to an individual’s decision to engage in or disengage from terrorism. He is particularly interested in the ways in which these processes are affected by new communication media. His doctoral dissertation, “Fighting Words: The Effect of Online Extremist Narratives on the Radicalization Process,” investigated the ways in which terrorist groups might use narratives to bring audiences to adopt their extremist ideologies. This work was partially funded through a Terrorism Research Award from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Dr. Braddock holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts and Sciences from Penn State and an M.A. in Communication from the University of Delaware.

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khb125@psu.edu

NEIL D. SHORTLAND

Research Associate

Mr. Shortland is a Research Associate at ICST and researcher on several ICST projects, including investigating typologies of terrorist behavior and the implications of this for sentencing decisions. His current research interests include adversarial creativity and the interaction of security counter-measures and terrorist organization’s strategic and tactical decision-making. He is also interested in problems facing UK and US Armed Forces during transition and withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as in emerging regions of conflict. Previously, Mr. Shortland worked for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, an agency that conducts science and technology research for the UK Ministry of Defence. Here, he worked on operationally relevant research to assist Government and the UK Armed Forces. He has predominantly published reports around terrorist behavior and provided social science support to training. Mr. Shortland holds an MSc with Distinction from the University of Liverpool in Forensic and Investigative Psychology, and a BSc from the University of Bristol.

nds14@psu.edu

MATTHEW P. CRAYNE

Research Assistant

Mr. Crayne is a Research Assistant at ICST, currently invested in researching recruitment and selection strategies utilized by terrorist groups. Mr. Crayne is pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Penn State University and possesses a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Connecticut. His current research interests include predicting and overcoming leader errors, counterproductive work behavior, "dark" personality traits in leadership (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy), organizational leadership selection, and selection system utility.

mpc5115@psu.edu

PAIGE J. DECKERT

Research Assistant

Ms. Paige Deckert is a Research Assistant at ICST working on the project “Developing a Typology of Terrorism Involvement as a Basis to Planning for Sentencing, Management, Risk Reduction, Release and Monitoring of Terrorist Offenders,” funded through the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. Previously, she worked on the ICST Lone Actor project. Ms. Deckert is pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Penn State and possesses a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois and Urbana-Champaign. She has publications on the measurement of performance appraisal and the assessment of adverse impact in personnel selection, and has presented on subjects such as adverse impact as a function of educational attainment and the use of Facebook in personnel selection. Beyond personnel selection and performance appraisal, Ms. Deckert’s research interests also include the impact of trust and justice in the workplace.

pjd186@psu.edu

CASEY J. HILLAND

Research Assistant

Mr. Hilland is a second year master’s student at the Penn State School of International Affairs where he arrived after graduating from the University of Oregon in 2011 with a B.S. in Political Science. He has interned at the US Army War College Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and at the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program. Mr. Hilland's research interests include terrorist group and insurgency networking, affiliation, and fragmentation, as well as assessing models for radicalization. Mr. Hilland is an associate with the Strategic and Global Security Scholars program and an editor of the Penn State Journal of International Affairs.

cjh1017@psu.edu

BRAD S. JAYNE

Research Assistant

Mr. Jayne is a first year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Penn State University. He holds a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Sociology from James Madison University. He is currently working on the ICST project “Developing a Typology of Terrorism Involvement as a Basis to Planning for Sentencing, Management, Risk Reduction, Release and Monitoring of Terrorist Offenders.”

bsj120@psu.edu

EMMA J. LEONARD

Research Assistant

Ms. Leonard graduated in International Relations (MA Hons) from the University of St Andrews in 2005, and then undertook a volunteer position at Mbarara University in Uganda, working as the Assistant to the Dean of Development Studies. This was followed by a post-graduate degree in African Studies (MSc Hons) at Oxford University, completed in 2008. She then joined the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews and has now started her PhD in Political Science and African Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include conflict and terrorism, peacekeeping and peace building (all with a specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa), as well as the role that foreign actors (particularly the US and UK governments) play in conflicts in East Africa.

ejl196@psu.edu

BEN H. SCHECHTER

Research Assistant

Mr. Schechter received his B.A. in Psychology and Economics & Management from Beloit College in Wisconsin. He is currently working as a general research assistant for Dr. Horgan, focusing on issues around organizational adaptation in illicit networks.

bhs11@psu.edu

CHRISTIAN N. THOROUGHGOOD

Research Assistant

Mr. Thoroughgood is a Research Assistant on the ICST project “Pathways, Processes, Roles, and Factors for Terrorist Disengagement, Re-Engagement, and Recidivism.” He holds an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology from Penn State University, a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in I/O Psychology from Penn State. Mr. Thoroughgood’s current research interests include leadership (specifically, destructive leadership, followership, gender, race and leadership, and outstanding forms of leadership), counterproductive work behavior, “dark” personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) in organizations, and structural equation modeling. He has published a number of articles in such outlets as The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Journal of Business Ethics, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice.

cnt105@psu.edu