Dr. Pete Simi (Sociology)

Dr. Pete Simi (Sociology) was awarded a $74,999 grant from the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) at the University of Nebraska Omaha for work on “International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security.”

The International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security (IAPSS) is an international research consortium that brings together academics, government, and industry to advance the field of targeted violence and terrorism prevention. This international global knowledge exchange hub offers a platform to deepen knowledge exchange between countries and develop the next generation of leaders.

“I feel like there’s an opportunity for IAPSS to be the peak international body for research and government collaboration on violent extremism. If we’re going to have ambition, it should be big,” said Tim Legrand, an IAPSS collaborator from Australia’s Social Science and Intelligence Research Network (SSiReN).

Throughout this project, Dr. Simi will work collaboratively with colleagues at NCITE to support efforts to develop and build this international research consortium focused on the prevention of violent extremism. The first meeting of the IAPSS consortium, held March 5-6, 2024 in London, drew more than 60 attendees from 17 research centers across 12 countries. The goal was to answer two pressing questions: What problems do our nations share? And how can we work together to solve them?

“I’m excited to be part of the development of this international consortium in terms of our goal of improving communication among scholars working on the prevention of violent extremism in different countries along with trying to help coordinate research priorities and best practices across different national governments. And I think the consortium’s focus on supporting early career researchers is both important and rewarding and I’m really looking forward to seeing those relationships move forward.” – Dr. Pete Simi

IAPSS recognizes the importance of nurturing the next generation of experts and invests in early career researchers. By empowering emerging scholars, we contribute to the sustained growth of knowledge in terrorism and targeted violence prevention. As part of this mission, Dr. Simi will support the planning and execution of an early career seminar series and a small grant program.

Further, Dr. Simi will serve as the lead author of an article for the U.K.’s Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) magazine focused on the prevention of violent extremism from a US perspective and how the formation of the research consortium can help support those efforts.

(Pictured above: The inaugural meeting of the IAPSS consortium, held March 5-6 in London, included more than 60 attendees from 17 research centers across 12 countries.)