About

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

• 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
  • Non-resident Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University
  • Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Network for the Study of Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS)
  • Board Member, Research Stream Coordinator, Women in International Security (WIIS) Netherlands
  • Digital Fellow, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), Concordia University
  • 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 (softcover forthcoming). I am currently co-editing a volume on Islamist Governance (both state and non-state actors) with Dr. Shiraz Maher (Hurst 2022). 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.

You can follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.