Alex is a Research Fellow at the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They earned their Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 2024. At NCITE, they contribute to the scientific review of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) supported project work and further assist with U.S. Government compliance, interfacing between researchers, the center, and DHS. They additionally support identification of stakeholder engagement opportunities, respond to requests for information, and assist with regular reporting requirements and opportunities. They work alongside Dr. Gina Ligon on fundamental targeted violence and terrorism research at NCITE.

Their Ph.D. research examines United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and political interventions in civil wars; as well as the myriad non-governmental and state actors working alongside the United Nations in development and peacebuilding after civil wars. They investigate the effect of these interventions on violent and non-violent state repression during and after civil conflicts.

For over three years, Alex was a lead research assistant (Research Manager) on a National Science Foundation-funded project with PIs Dr. Susanna Campbell and Dr. Jessica Maves Braithwaite – Networks of Influence and Support in Peace Operations; this project captures hundreds of thousands of relationships (edges) among over 10,000 international and national organizations which engage in peace, humanitarian, and development work in 20 countries with UN peace operations. In this role, Alex has worked with a large, diverse team of over 30 undergraduate and graduate research assistants. Additionally, they have multiple papers in progress coauthored with the PIs (1, 2). The project is based in the Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL) at American University.

Alex attended the Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) in 2023 and participated in the Bridging the Gap New Era Workshop in 2022. Alex has presented working papers at the annual meetings of the Peace Science Society in 2022 (1), International Studies Association in 2023 (3, 4), and the Political Economy of International Organizations in 2023 (1). Alex holds two bachelor’s degrees from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree from the University of Arizona.

Alex uses they/them pronouns.

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