Austin Doctor
- Director of Strategic Initiatives
- NCITE
- Assistant Professor, Political Science
Additional Information
Bio
Austin Doctor is the NCITE Director of Strategic Initiatives and an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has held additional appointments as a fellow with the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy at West Point as well as the National Strategic Research Institute, a Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center. He is a member of the 2025 McCain Institute National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship cohort. Doctor earned his Ph.D. from the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia.
Doctor’s expertise lies in the fields of national and homeland security with more than a decade of experience in the study of emerging threats, domestic and international terrorism, irregular warfare, and violent non-state actors. He has been awarded more than $8 million in externally funded research projects in close collaboration with partners across federal law enforcement, the U.S. military, and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
His research is published in Terrorism and Political Violence, Perspectives on Terrorism, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly, Civil Wars, Parameters, the CTC Sentinel, and other peer-review academic journals. His work is also featured in a number of media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, the Washington Post, and Voice of America. As a faculty member, he teaches courses on national security, terrorism, and counterterrorism.
Research Interests
Emerging threats; domestic and international terrorism; irregular warfare; and violent non-state actorsEducation
B.A. History; Covenant College
Ph.D. Political Science and International Affairs; University of Georgia
Selected Publications
Doctor, A. C., & Walsh, J. I. (2021). The coercive logic of militant drone use. The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters, 51(2), 73-84.
Doctor, A. C., & Hunter, S. T. (2023) The Future of Terrorist Use of Improvised Explosive Devices: Getting in Front of an Evolving Threat. CTC Sentinel 16(11), 41-51
Doctor, A. C., Hunter, S. T., & Ligon, G. S. (2023). Militant Leadership and Terrorism in Armed Conflict. Terrorism and Political Violence 36(6), 740–756. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2023.2189972
Doctor, A. C., & Willingham, J. D. (2020). Foreign Fighters, Rebel Command Structure, and Civilian Targeting in Civil War. Terrorism and Political Violence, 34(6), 1125–1143. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2020.1763320
Additional Information
Bio
Austin Doctor is the NCITE Director of Strategic Initiatives and an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has held additional appointments as a fellow with the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy at West Point as well as the National Strategic Research Institute, a Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center. He is a member of the 2025 McCain Institute National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship cohort. Doctor earned his Ph.D. from the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia.
Doctor’s expertise lies in the fields of national and homeland security with more than a decade of experience in the study of emerging threats, domestic and international terrorism, irregular warfare, and violent non-state actors. He has been awarded more than $8 million in externally funded research projects in close collaboration with partners across federal law enforcement, the U.S. military, and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
His research is published in Terrorism and Political Violence, Perspectives on Terrorism, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly, Civil Wars, Parameters, the CTC Sentinel, and other peer-review academic journals. His work is also featured in a number of media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, the Washington Post, and Voice of America. As a faculty member, he teaches courses on national security, terrorism, and counterterrorism.
Research Interests
Emerging threats; domestic and international terrorism; irregular warfare; and violent non-state actorsEducation
B.A. History; Covenant College
Ph.D. Political Science and International Affairs; University of Georgia
Selected Publications
Doctor, A. C., & Walsh, J. I. (2021). The coercive logic of militant drone use. The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters, 51(2), 73-84.
Doctor, A. C., & Hunter, S. T. (2023) The Future of Terrorist Use of Improvised Explosive Devices: Getting in Front of an Evolving Threat. CTC Sentinel 16(11), 41-51
Doctor, A. C., Hunter, S. T., & Ligon, G. S. (2023). Militant Leadership and Terrorism in Armed Conflict. Terrorism and Political Violence 36(6), 740–756. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2023.2189972
Doctor, A. C., & Willingham, J. D. (2020). Foreign Fighters, Rebel Command Structure, and Civilian Targeting in Civil War. Terrorism and Political Violence, 34(6), 1125–1143. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2020.1763320