Associate Professor Mary Beth Altier

Dr. Mary Beth Altier is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs where she directs the concentration in Transnational Security and Initiative on Emerging Threats.

Dr. Altier’s research interests are in international security, nationalism and ethnic conflict, political violence, and political behavior. Her recent work centers on the reasons why individuals support or participate in political violence, especially terrorism, in developed and developing democracies. She has also studied the disengagement and reintegration of violent extremists and the factors that precipitate re-engagement or recidivism. Dr. Altier’s research on why citizens support armed parties in democratic elections was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Ernst B. Haas Award, and she is also the recipient of the American Political Science Association’s European Politics and Society’s Best Paper Award. Her research is featured in a number of journals including the Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. She serves on the Editorial Board of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, ICCT Journal, Journal of Deradicalization, and Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. Dr. Altier has been invited to present her research to government, intelligence, and security professionals in a number of countries and international organizations including NATO and EUROPOL. Her work has also been featured in a number of media outlets including The Washington Post, WIRED, USA Today, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vox, The Daily Beast, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and Minneapolis Star Tribune.