I hold a PhD from the University of St Andrews. 

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My doctoral thesis "From Jihad-Making to State-Building: Understanding Governance by Salafi-Jihadist Insurgents" focused on the phenomenon of Salafi-Jihadist rebel governance. Specifically, the research aims were the following: determine whether there is a single model of Salafi-Jihadist insurgent governance, assess to what extent Salafi-Jihadist governance is distinct from the models of governance implemented by non-Salafi-Jihadist insurgents, illuminate the relationship between ideology and governance in the case of Salafi-Jihadist insurgent groups.

My doctoral research was funded by the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews.

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Most recently, I have been working as consultant on Yemen and Syria and as researcher on the "Guidelines for Humanitarians' Engagement with Religious Leaders" for the Generating Respect Project. The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is carried out by Geneva Call and the University of York. The aim of the project is to examine how religious leaders influence the behaviours of state and non-state parties to armed conflicts and whether their religious interpretations can generate greater respect for humanitarian norms.  

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My areas of research are armed groups, rebel governance, Salafi-Jihadism, and civil wars. Geographically, my focus is on Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

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For my full CV, please visit here.