Helping organizations solve difficult problems where conflict, security, and emerging technology intersect
Research and advisory services for governments, research institutions, AI organizations, and policy teams—combining interdisciplinary analysis with strategic insight and evidence-based recommendations.
Most difficult problems are difficult because they are poorly defined, examined through a single lens, or evaluated against the wrong evidence. Correcting that — before an organization commits resources to the wrong solution — is where the real value lies.
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Research & Advisory Experience
My background combines psychology, anthropology, public administration, security studies, and legal-empirical research. Experience includes an SNSF-supported counterterrorism project at the University of Geneva, Fulbright fieldwork in post-conflict Croatia, visiting research at Cornell Law School, engagement with UN and ICRC stakeholders, and current evaluation and red-teaming of large language models across high-risk domains.
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My work has repeatedly required me to move between disciplines and institutions, from anthropology and psychology to conflict and security research, international law and policy, and the applied evaluation of AI systems. That experience has taught me to begin with the problem rather than a preferred framework: clarifying what is actually being asked, surfacing the assumptions built into it, and identifying the psychological, social, legal, or institutional mechanisms that may be driving the outcome. I then compare competing explanations, determine what evidence would meaningfully distinguish among them, and translate the findings into recommendations that are analytically defensible, practically useful, and responsive to the decision at hand.
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Have a problem worth defining correctly?
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The four areas below reflect the broader questions that have shaped my work: what moves people toward cooperation or conflict; how institutions understand and respond to complex social problems; and how law and technology reshape the choices available to individuals, organizations, and societies. Across these themes, I examine the mechanisms that drive radicalization and collective violence, the legal and institutional frameworks used to understand and address them, and the ways emerging technologies are changing both risk and response. My experience spans academic research, international law and policy, applied analysis, and AI model evaluation. Together, these areas show the continuity between my research background and the advisory work I offer.
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Have a problem worth defining correctly?
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An interdisciplinary researcher and consultant
My work is problem-focused rather than discipline-led. I am an interdisciplinary behavioral and social scientist working across conflict and security, international law, and emerging technology. My academic foundation spans psychology, sociocultural anthropology, public administration, and emergency management and homeland security. This foundation brings together behavioral, evolutionary, institutional, and policy perspectives to analyze complex problems and develop practical responses.
During my Ph.D., I conducted Fulbright-supported fieldwork in post-conflict Croatia. This was followed by a postdoctoral research position at the University of Geneva on a major Swiss National Science Foundation counterterrorism project, where I coordinated interdisciplinary international research and engaged with United Nations and ICRC stakeholders on counterterrorism, human rights, humanitarian law, and armed conflict. A visiting research appointment at Cornell Law School followed.
Current applied work focuses on evaluating and red-teaming large language models across extremism, violence, self-harm and suicide, substance-related harms, illicit activity, and broader sociopolitical-risk domains. This work includes developing prompts and test cases, scoring and classifying responses, identifying bias, failure modes, and safeguards gaps, and translating findings into recommendations for model, policy, and evaluation refinement. A related research focus examines how generative AI may affect radicalization, extremist communication, political violence, and institutional responses.
Methodological expertise includes experiments, advanced quantitative analysis, ethnography, interviews, surveys, psychometrics, social-network analysis, game theory, and legal-empirical research. Publications span terrorism studies, psychology, anthropology, behavioral science, international humanitarian law, and security policy. Teaching experience includes the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Arizona, and Boston University Geneva.
Long before entering academia, my interest in behavior took shape through science education, public service, and close work with animals. Beginning at thirteen, I volunteered with the Orlando Science Center and Ronald McDonald House Charities, eventually completing thousands of hours of community service. Later roles in wildlife conservation education and animal care involved species ranging from alligators, snakes, and birds of prey to sharks and dolphins. Work with Walt Disney World Animal Programs included leading animal- and conservation-focused tours and spending seven years as a safety diver at one of the world’s largest aquariums. Together, these experiences fostered an enduring curiosity about risk, conflict, cooperation, and adaptation across human and animal life. Beyond professional work, longstanding interests include travel, nature, science, and theatre.
Radicalization, Terrorism, and International Humanitarian Law
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Contact
Share a few details about your research, advisory, or evaluation need and I will follow up directly. Not every conversation needs to begin with a formal project. For academic questions, collaboration ideas, general inquiries, or simply to get in touch, please feel free to email me directly.
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