J.M. Berger C.V.
Dr. J.M. Berger is an internationally recognized and widely cited expert on extremism. He is the author of Extremism (MIT Press 2018), the definitive introductory text on the subject, now available in six languages. He holds a doctorate in criminology from Swansea University's Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, based on a thesis dissecting extremist ideologies.
In addition to three important books on terrorism and extremism, Berger has authored or co-authored several groundbreaking studies of extremists’ online activity, including Who Matters Online (International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, 2013), The ISIS Twitter Census (The Brookings Institution, 2015) and The Alt-Right Twitter Census (VOX-Pol, 2018), as well as an overview and comprehensive history of the subject for the Routledge Handbook of Online Violent Extremism (forthcoming, 2025).
Berger has an extensive record of public scholarship, including widely read articles for The Atlantic, the New York Times, Politico, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Foreign Policy, and many others. Berger also consults for and trains technology companies and government agencies on online extremism, disinformation, and harmful content policy policies.
Employment highlights:
Senior Research Fellow, Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC), Middlebury Institute of International Studies. 2023 to present. Researches extremism and extremist use of technology. Consults on tech sector harmful content policies.
Senior Research Fellow, VOX-Pol Network of Excellence. 2018 to present. Publishes and presents research for an EU-funded academic center.
Associate fellow, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2016 to 2018. Researched extremist propaganda and countering violent extremism as part of the Counter-Terrorism Strategic Communications (CTSC) Project.
Non-resident fellow, the Brookings Institution. January 2015 to December 2015. Researched the Islamic State organization; participated in public events, media and government outreach.
Education:
PhD in criminology, Swansea University School of Law, 2024.
University of Pittsburgh, English Literature/Film Studies, 1989.