Dr. Mary Beth Altier is a Clinical Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she leads the Masters’ Degree concentration in Transnational Security and Initiative on Emerging Threats. She received her PhD and MA in Politics from Princeton University and BAs in Mathematics and History from Drew University.

Dr. Altier’s interests are in international security, political violence, political behavior, nationalism, and ethnic conflict. She has over thirteen years’ experience researching the disengagement and reintegration of violent extremists. This work includes large-scale literature reviews, the compilation and analysis of quantitative datasets, and in-depth interviews with individuals across a range of violent extremist ideologies. Dr. Altier’s other research examines the social bases of support for armed political parties in developed and developing democracies. Her work has been published in a number of journals including International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. She serves on the editorial boards of Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Perspectives on Terrorism, Journal for Deradicalization, and Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. Dr. Altier is a member of the RESOLVE Network’s Research Advisory Council and has been invited to present her research to various government audiences and international organizations including NATO, Europol, and the UN. She has also published in The Washington Post and Lawfare and been quoted in various media outlets including PBS, WIRED, USA Today, Vox, and The Daily Beast.

At the Center for Global Affairs, Professor Altier teaches courses in Transnational Security, Transnational Terrorism, Security Sector Governance and the Rule of Law, and Analytic Skills and she leads a Global Field Intensive to Dublin, Belfast, and London focused on counterterrorism and other security challenges. Professor Altier also runs two consulting practicum projects each year at NYU. The first with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office focuses on timely issues related to violent extremism including the use of AI and other emerging tech; transatlantic linkages between far-right violent extremist groups; the relationship between misogyny, gender-based violence, and violent extremism; the incel movement, and this year, the potential for terrorism in the US around key political events and political issues. The second practicum with the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center focuses on state and non-state actor disinformation and propaganda that threatens the US and its allies. Previous projects have focused on country and private sector approaches to authenticating, detecting and labeling synthetic content; malign influence in Latin America, global approaches to media literacy training and gaps, and strategic communications campaigns to counter violent extremism in the Balkans, Nigeria, and Somalia. Dr. Altier received the NYU SPS Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017 and 2023 and also serves as Co-Director of Faculty Research at the School of Professional Studies.

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