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Joseph Mroszczyk received his PhD in Political Science at Northeastern University in 2018, specializing in international relations and comparative politics. He has a strong background and interest in studying terrorist groups, international and homeland security issues, and international affairs. Joe served as a Research Assistant for Professor Stephen Flynn, as well as Teaching Assistant for Globalization and International Affairs, Homeland Security Policy and Politics, and Introduction to International Relations.


Research Interests

Joe’s research interests broadly surround terrorist and extremist groups with a particular focus on the effectiveness of suicide terrorist tactics and operations. He is also interested in religious justifications for violence, the radicalization process, and the national and homeland security policies designed to counter the threats posed by extremist groups. His dissertation focuses on the tactical and operational utility of suicide terrorism operations.


Prior Work

Joe has experiences conducting research in support of government and military decision-makers that allow him to understand the “real world” applications of academic material. Joe works currently as the manager of intelligence products and services at Global Rescue, a Boston-based international travel risk and crisis management firm. Additionally, Joe serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve where he is assigned to a unit at the Naval War College in Newport, RI.

Prior to coming to Northeastern, Joe worked in support of the U.S. Army Human Terrain System (HTS) program. In this role, he conducted social science research and analysis in both Iraq and Afghanistan in support of U.S. Forces, and spent seven months in Baghdad, Iraq directly supporting U.S. Forces and Operation New Dawn with quantitative and qualitative research on the Iraqi population. Before that, Joe was an Honors Fellow and Policy Analyst at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC where he worked on counterterrorism research and policy. Joe has also held positions at a market research and political polling firm, a private cyber-security and intelligence firm, at BAE Systems where he worked on a DARPA program, the House of Commons in London with the Shadow Home Secretary at the time, and in the Governor’s Office at the Massachusetts State House.


Biography

Joe received his MA in International Relations and Religion at Boston University where he wrote his MA paper on Islamic radicalization in the United Kingdom. He also holds a BA from Boston University in Political Science and History.

When not researching, writing, or working, Joe enjoys skiing, cycling, hiking, and anything else that gets him in contact with the New England outdoors. He lives on Massachusetts’ North Shore with his wife.


Publications

Abrahms, M., Beauchamp, N., and Mroszczyk, J. “What Terrorist Leaders Want: A Content Analysis of Terrorist Propaganda Videos.” Forthcoming in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.

Mroszczyk, J.  “To Die or To Kill? An Analysis of Suicide Attack Lethality,” Forthcoming in Terrorism and Political Violence.

Mroszczyk, J. 2016. Chasing Ghosts: The Policing of Terrorism, by John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart. Reviewed in Democracy and Security 12(3), pp. 219-220.


Conference Presentations

ISSS-ISAC Joint Annual Conference (2013)

Northeastern Political Science Association (2013)


Degrees Earned and Institutions

BA, Political Science and History, Boston University

MA, International Relations and Religion, Boston University

PhD, Political Science, Northeastern University


Research Interests

International security; terrorist groups (recruitment, tactics, strategies); radicalization; irregular warfare; religious, political, and ethnic violence