At Metaphase, I work to make the world safer by supporting the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) International Affairs Office. This office engages global partners worldwide to secure critical infrastructure.

At the Buffet Institute for Global Affairs I'm collaborating with Prof. V.S. Subrahmanian to build terrorism early warning system using computational models.- train and oversee multiple teams of undergraduate researchers collecting data on major terrorist groups worldwide (including Boko Haram and Lashkar-e-Taiba) in order to train predictive models- provide domain expertise in evaluating data and model results

First as a AAAS Fellow and then as a contractor, I have been supporting Data Analytics Technology Center (DA-TC) at Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate as the Senior Policy Advisor. DA-TC researches data analytics to support the Homeland Security Enterprise. This work ranges from high-end research to nuts and bolts problem solving to protect the American people.Researching the governance of robotics I have written a pair of conference papers, and a workshop presentation. In the process of researching and writing these reports I have:- Interviewed over a dozen people, including White House officials- Researched and synthesized literature on technology and policy, and then applied political science methodologies to develop policy recommendations- Discussant for one paper stated the paper "made bureaucracy interesting" and "provided a framework for analyzing any technology governance issue."On social media policy I have: - Written an in-depth, internal white paper on social media policies- This white paper informed the department’s emerging social media privacy policy - Facilitated a workshop on using social media to enhance security- Meeting was chaired by an Acting Undersecretary, and attended by representatives of social media platforms, and corporate security chiefs. - Led the final session to identify major themes that emerged in discussion and authored the workshop report resulting in specific policy recommendations to improve use of social media by security professionalsAfter identifying a government-wide need for deeper understanding of social media issues and text analytics I organized a pair of workshops on these topics. In organizing these events I:- Recruited prominent speakers on these issues - Promoted the events to new groups across the government, leading to 300% higher attendance than comparable workshopsI collaborated on projects to help DHS components unlock insights from their databases of incident reports.

LCCD applied cutting edge computational tools to terrorism and other international security problems. I served as the in-house expert on international affairs, terrorism, and policy. In my time at LCCD I:• Organized and oversaw the data collection for big data projects using game theory, social network analysis, and data mining• Developed frameworks to transform articles and reports into quantitative data• Trained and oversaw teams of researchers collecting data• Analyzed results, applying subject matter expertise to develop policy relevant findings • Collaborated to develop first-ever big data models of terrorist group behavior (focus on Middle East and South Asia), resulting in testable and 85% accurate predictions• Translated findings in presentations and articles to terms readily grasped by non-specialists • Co-authored first book-length big data study of terrorist group behavior, followed by two more books• Co-authored five conference papers applying novel data mining, game theory, and social network analysis tools to understanding terrorist group behavior• Developed simulation of conflict in Afghanistan• Co-chaired Third International Conference on Computational Dynamics in 2009• Shared findings in briefings delivered throughout the U.S. government and worldwide

MINDLAB conducted research on Semantic Web technologies that would facilitate analysis and information sharing. There was tremendous interest in applying these capabilities to intelligence and counter-terrorism. My subject matter expertise was played a critical role in bridging the gap between cutting edge research and ultimate end-user needs. At MINDLAB I:• Developed world’s first terrorism ontology (Semantic web framework for organizing information) despite no previous computer science experience• Directed team of five computer scientists/researchers building experimental Semantic Web research site for analyzing terrorism and a successful entry into 2006 Semantic Web Challenge (a working Semantic Web site focused on a particular application)• Identified user needs and set priorities for programmers• Established frameworks for data collection and oversaw process to ensure necessary quantity of data was gathered, while assuring data quality• Presented research to intelligence community and in a half-dozen academic papers, book chapters, and workshop presentations

My PhD dissertation was on the national security role of the vice president – interesting in its own right, it is also a unique lens to better understand national security decision-making. In the course of my dissertation, and in subsequent research I:• Used process tracing to identify sources of vice presidential influence• Advanced current research by examining specific instances of vice presidential influence• Interviewed Vice President Walter Mondale and over 30 White House staffers• Carried out archival research at presidential libraries and the Minnesota Historical Society• Published four popular and scholarly articles and papers on the vice presidency• Started and continue to author Veepcritique.com - the leading blog on the vice presidency• Penned introductions to two editions of Veeptopus, a book of vice president themed art• In addition, I published a quantitative study on the removal of the leaders of terrorist organizations, which has become a leading paper in the field and was also cited in the popular press, including The New Yorker