Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
University of Nebraska Omaha logo
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE)
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • We Are NCITE
    • Newsletters
    • Our Community
    • Center Directory
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • NCITE Research
    • Published Reports
    • Annual Request for Proposals
  • News Backback to Main menu
    • News Center
    • NCITE in the News
  • Events Backback to Main menu
    • Upcoming Events
    • ENVISION Conference
  • Get Involved Backback to Main menu
    • Donate to NCITE
    • Job Opportunities
  • Podcast

Seamus Hughes

  1. UNO
  2. National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE)
  3. About NCITE Center of Excellence
  4. staff-directory
  5. Seamus Hughes
Seamus Hughes

Seamus Hughes

  • Senior Research Faculty and Policy Associate
  • NCITE

email:
seamushughes@unomaha.edu

Additional Information

Bio

Seamus Hughes is a leading voice in the field of counterterrorism and extremism research whose career spans journalism, academia, and government.  

In his career, Hughes worked at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), serving as a lead staffer on U.S. government efforts to implement a national terrorism prevention strategy. He regularly led engagements with communities across the country, provided counsel to civic leaders after high-profile terror-related incidents, and met with families of individuals who joined terrorist organizations. Hughes created a groundbreaking intervention program to help steer individuals away from violence through non-law enforcement means and worked closely with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, fusion centers, and U.S. Attorney Offices.  Prior to his work for NCTC, Hughes served as the senior counterterrorism advisor for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Hughes has authored numerous legislative bills, including sections of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act and the Special Agent Samuel Hicks Families of Fallen Heroes Act. He organized over a dozen congressional hearings on the threat of homegrown violent extremism, led fact-finding delegations to various European and Middle Eastern countries, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. Hughes helped direct a academic research center at George Washington University for nearly a decade.

Additionally, Hughes is a research journalist at the New York Times. In 2022, Hughes was part of a New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for stories on law enforcement in America. Hughes regularly provides commentary to media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, BBC, PBS, and CBS’ 60 Minutes. In 2023, Washingtonian magazine named him one of the country’s most influential voices on national security.  

Hughes has also been an adjunct faculty member for George Washington University and Georgetown University teaching numerous classes on terrorism and U.S. government policy making. 

Research Interests

Terrorism; homegrown violent extremism; countering violent extremism 

Education

B.A. Political Science and Government; University of Maryland College Park 

Selected Publications

Meleagrou-Hitchens, A., Hughes, S., & Clifford, B. (2018). The travelers: American jihadists in Syria and Iraq. Program on Extremism, The George Washington University.

Hughes, S., & Margolin, D. (2019, November 10). The Fractured Terrorism Threat to America. Lawfare. 

Meleagrou-Hitchens, A., Clifford, B., & Hughes, S. (2020). Homegrown.

Gordenstein, C., & Hughes, S. (2021, June 13). A sea change in counterterrorism. Lawfare. 

Simi, P. & Hughes, S. (2023). Understanding Threats to Public Officials. Reports, Projects, and Research. 45. 

Additional Information

Bio

Seamus Hughes is a leading voice in the field of counterterrorism and extremism research whose career spans journalism, academia, and government.  

In his career, Hughes worked at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), serving as a lead staffer on U.S. government efforts to implement a national terrorism prevention strategy. He regularly led engagements with communities across the country, provided counsel to civic leaders after high-profile terror-related incidents, and met with families of individuals who joined terrorist organizations. Hughes created a groundbreaking intervention program to help steer individuals away from violence through non-law enforcement means and worked closely with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, fusion centers, and U.S. Attorney Offices.  Prior to his work for NCTC, Hughes served as the senior counterterrorism advisor for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Hughes has authored numerous legislative bills, including sections of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act and the Special Agent Samuel Hicks Families of Fallen Heroes Act. He organized over a dozen congressional hearings on the threat of homegrown violent extremism, led fact-finding delegations to various European and Middle Eastern countries, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. Hughes helped direct a academic research center at George Washington University for nearly a decade.

Additionally, Hughes is a research journalist at the New York Times. In 2022, Hughes was part of a New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for stories on law enforcement in America. Hughes regularly provides commentary to media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, BBC, PBS, and CBS’ 60 Minutes. In 2023, Washingtonian magazine named him one of the country’s most influential voices on national security.  

Hughes has also been an adjunct faculty member for George Washington University and Georgetown University teaching numerous classes on terrorism and U.S. government policy making. 

Research Interests

Terrorism; homegrown violent extremism; countering violent extremism 

Education

B.A. Political Science and Government; University of Maryland College Park 

Selected Publications

Meleagrou-Hitchens, A., Hughes, S., & Clifford, B. (2018). The travelers: American jihadists in Syria and Iraq. Program on Extremism, The George Washington University.

Hughes, S., & Margolin, D. (2019, November 10). The Fractured Terrorism Threat to America. Lawfare. 

Meleagrou-Hitchens, A., Clifford, B., & Hughes, S. (2020). Homegrown.

Gordenstein, C., & Hughes, S. (2021, June 13). A sea change in counterterrorism. Lawfare. 

Simi, P. & Hughes, S. (2023). Understanding Threats to Public Officials. Reports, Projects, and Research. 45. 

Additional Information

Bio Research Interests Education Selected Publications

National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE)

Connect with NCITE
  • 6001 Dodge St.
  • Omaha, NE
  • ncite@unomaha.edu
Social media
Our DHS Partners
  • Centers of Excellence
  • Science & Technology Directorate (S&T)
  • Office of University Programs (OUP)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Grant Acknowledgement and Disclaimer. The material on this website is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 20STTPC00001-05. The views and conclusions included here are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.