About

I am an Assistant Professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), Leiden University (Netherlands), and an Adjunct Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University (US). I was previously a Senior Project Coordinator/Editor in Chief at the International Centre for Counterterrorism (ICCT, Netherlands), though I remain a research fellow. My research focuses primarily on terrorism and counterterrorism, with a specialisation on women, children, rehabilitation, and reintegration. More recently, I have also focused on non-state actor governance and AI. I hold the following affiliations:

    • Editorial Board, Perspectives on Terrorism (ICCT)
    • Editorial Board, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Studies (Taylor and Francis)
    • Editorial Board, Terrorism and Political Violence (Taylor and Francis)
    • Editorial board, “Studies in Contemporary Warfare Series,” IB Tauris (Bloomsbury)
    • Associate Fellow, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
    • Associate Fellow, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King’s College London 
    • Research Member, AVERT, Deakin University
    • Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Network for the Study of Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS)
    • Advisory Board, International Counter-terrorism Review
    • Member, Women in International Security (WIIS) UK and Canada
    • Member, Women know MENA
    • Member, British-Yemeni Society (BYS)
    • Member, Women in Defense and Security Canada (WiDS)

My first book, “A Woman’s Place: U.S. Counterterrorism Since 9/11” was published in 2019 with Hurst Publishers, and 2020 with Oxford University Press. I have published a co-edited volume on Islamist Governance (both state and non-state actors) with Dr. Shiraz Maher (Hurst 2023), and have a forthcoming book on children in terrorist-affiliated families. I have published numerous academic and policy publications on security, counterterrorism and human security published (full list in ‘Publications’).

Previously, I was a Senior Research Fellow with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) at King’s College London (see also ‘Teaching’). I have additionally worked on an ad-hoc basis with organizations such as the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (UK), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Public Safety Canada, Moonshot CVE and Saferworld, amongst others. In another life, I was an international journalist who focused on mining. I received both my PhD and MA from the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK, and my BA from the University of Regina, Canada.

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