NCITE consortium member and I-O psychologist Anthony Roberson, Ph.D., chats with NCITE I-O doctoral student Emma Theobald about her research into malevolent AI, her recent workshop with members of Congress, and her academic journey. 

"The thing that people don't get about fentanyl is that almost no one seeks fentanyl ... most people who use drugs are avoiding fentanyl like the plague."

NCITE Assistant Research Professor Alex Bruens, Ph.D., sits down with Jake Braun, member of the NCITE expert consortium and author of the new book, "Fentanyl: Fighting the Mass Poisoning of America and the Cartel Behind It." They discuss how the drug created a health crisis in the United States, the Mexican drug cartels (led by Sinaloa) developing the drug, the progress that has been made to combat its manufacture and dissemination, and what remains to be done to fight the health crisis. 

Braun is the executive director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He is also the CEO of Cambridge Global Advisors and served in the White House for over seven years in several capacities, including as the Acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director and White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He holds an M.A. in both international relations and education and grew up in Omaha, NE. Inquiries regarding the book can be sent to jakebraun@uchicago.edu. 

Inquiries for Bruens can be sent to ncite@unomaha.edu. 

Blake sits down with Anne Barnes, MBA, interim vice president and chief financial officer for the University of Nebraska System, to reflect on the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Barnes was working less than a mile from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building when a truck bomb detonated in front of it, blowing apart a third of the building and leading to the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children. 

Erin sits down with Alexis D'Amato and Emma Theobald, two NCITE researchers and UNO graduate students in industrial and organizational psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, to discuss their recent trip to the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) conference in Denver, CO. They discuss their presentations, field, and career plans. 

Erin sits down with NCITE researcher Jenni Hesterman, Ed.D. to discuss the threats malevolent actors pose to supply chains and other soft targets and what steps should be taken for prevention. Since 2007, Hesterman has served as a security services consultant for the public and private sector, investigating transnational terror and crime threats and providing risk assessment. Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel and an astronaut-in-training (analog).

Use the following link to view Hesterman's presentation on supply chain security: https://youtu.be/3RZVrjD0BsE

On the latest episode of the podcast, Blake sits down with Camden Carmichael, an NCITE researcher and UNO undergraduate in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. They discuss Carmichael's recent trip to the National Targeting Center in D.C., becoming an author on his first peer reviewed paper, and his post-graduation plans. Carmichael will graduate with his bachelor's degree in May.

Check out his team's paper using this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17440572.2025.2467702?needAccess=true.

Erin sits down with NCITE researcher Evan Perkoski, Ph.D., to discuss his team's research on terrorist recruitment trends. They also discuss his upcoming project, funded by Schmidt Futures, which will study how AI is impacting all aspects of terrorist organizations, including their marketing, financial, and training operations. Perkoski is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies of political science at the University of Connecticut.

Check out the NCITE team's recruitment research here: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1117&context=ncitereportsresearch

Host Blake Ursch sits down with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Ph.D. and Eleanor Ross (no relation) to discuss their contributions to an NCITE project examining the efficacy of simulation-based training for HSE workforce development. The project involves the implementation of a course at Duke University in which students represent various actors and entities (Germany, Google, etc.) while navigating global crises and advancing pre-determined agendas. Gartenstein-Ross is a co-PI on the project and is the founder and CEO of Valens Games. Eleanor Ross is the director of game design at Valens Games and graduated from Duke University in May with her bachelor’s degree in international comparative studies and Arabic.

In the second episode of a two-part series on NCITE's cyber threats research, Erin sits down with NCITE researchers and political scientists Ryan Shandler, Ph.D., and Jon Lindsay, Ph.D., both of the Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. They discuss their research on the level of risk posed to each of the nation's 16 critical infrastructure sectors and their effort to model which sectors would be most attractive to malevolent actors. 

In the first of a two-part series focused on NCITE's cyber threats research, Erin sits down with Deanna House, Ph.D., head of NCITE's Cyber Threat Analysis Lab and UNO assistant professor in the College of Information Science and Technology. House discusses her team's research on how deepfakes could be used to undermine a critical infrastructure sector's organizational reputation, financial health, and data security. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Blake Ursch sits down with NCITE MBA students Karlie Chonis and Jacylan Doering to discuss NCITE's project exposing business students to the problem sets and careers of homeland security. 

Erin sits down with John Horgan, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology at Georgia State University, to discuss deradicalization versus disengagement and the importance of in-depth interviews with those with extreme beliefs. They also discuss Horgan's recent scaling of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina and his passion for mountain climbing. 

Following the attack on the Annunciation Catholic School Church in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, the term "nihilistic violent extremism" has been floated to describe the attacker's motives. Ben sits down with two NCITE research associates, doctoral students Brenna Helm (ABD) and Angie Benda, to discuss the new term and soft target protection. Visit our website for a comprehensive list of NCITE research related to NVE. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Karyn Sporer, Ph.D., to discuss her research conducting life histories with family members of violent extremists and the role they play in radicalization identification and intervention.

Interim host Blake Ursch speaks with Seamus Hughes, NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate, to examine Hughes' research on the prosecution and sentencing of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division.

Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE senior scientist and director of academic research, to discuss the use of Meta smart glasses by the perpetrator of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.

Erin sits down with NCITE director Gina Ligon, Ph.D., to examine the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans. They discuss the difference between directed versus inspired attacks, the use of vehicles as a weapon, the persisting influence of the Islamic State, and NCITE research on behavioral threat assessment and management. 

Erin sits down with NCITE graduate student Elle Ward to discuss her UNO-funded research on the human trafficking-terrorism nexus. They discuss why the nexus exists, risk factors leading to hotspots, and the sometimes-blurry line between terrorists and trafficked individuals. 

Ward was able to study the nexus via a Graduate Research and Creative Activity (GRACA) grant through the UNO Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA). She will graduate Friday with her master's degree in geographic information science and technology and will begin a second master's in applied computing and informatics this spring.  

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin speaks with Martha Crenshaw, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and professor emerita from Stanford University, to discuss the Syrian rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and what a post-Assad Syria may look like.

Drawing from a career spanning over five decades, Crenshaw speaks on the origins of HTS, their navigation of internal and regional power dynamics, and how their designation as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and others will affect diplomacy.

Interim host Blake Ursch speaks with NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate Seamus Hughes about his research on threats to public officials in the light of the recent presidential election. Hughes draws from nearly a decade of researching such threats and discusses how the infrastructure and policies of the incoming Trump administration may affect their prosecution.

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Steven Windisch, Ph.D., on his research speaking to election workers about the threat environment.  

Windisch is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the associate director of the Crime and Security Data Analytics Lab (CASDAL) in the Terrorism Research Center (TRC) at the University of Arkansas.

Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this podcast are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or views, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the University of Nebraska, or guest-affiliated institutions.

"The noise in America right now is very loud." 

One year following the attack on Israel by Hamas, the scope and intensity of the conflict has expanded beyond Israel's borders to Lebanon and Iran, increasing regional and global tensions. In a newly published white paper requested by DHS, the NCITE consortium weighs in on the key homeland security concerns resulting from the crisis. Erin sits down with NCITE director Gina Ligon, Ph.D., to discuss the anniversary. Ligon draws on her research on ISIS to analyze Hamas's online outreach and how it has increased the risk of homegrown violent extremism. 

Note: This episode was recorded on September 26. 

Erin sits down with Martha Crenshaw, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and professor emerita from Stanford University, to discuss Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, covering its conflict with Israel, its ties to Iran, and recent developments in the Middle East. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, NCITE doctoral student Callie Vitro hosts NCITE research associate Michael Becker, Ph.D. to discuss all things methods. They cover 1) how they source data, 2) how they process data, and 3) Becker's work on the NCITE geospatial technologies project. To check out the unique data request form generated by Becker and his team, see the YouTube version of this episode (20:23–42). 

Curious to learn more? Email Dr. Becker at mbecker26@nebraska.edu or NCITE at ncite@unomaha.edu.

NOTE — At 3:15, it is the National Incident-Based "Reporting" System (NIBRS), not "Response".  

Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives, to discuss what factors lead men to misogyny, and through it, extremism.

Erin sits down with Brenna Helm, NCITE research associate and doctoral candidate (ABD) at Michigan State University, to discuss the rise of misogynist violence today.

Resources on Extremist Misogyny

- Leidig, E. (2023). The women of the far right: Social media influencers and online radicalization. Columbia University Press. The Women of the Far Right | Columbia University Press

- Perliger, A., Stevens, C., & Leidig, E. (2022). Mapping the ideological landscape of extreme misogyny. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Mapping the Ideological Landscape of Extreme Misogyny | International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT

Resource on Cognitive Openings

- Wiktorowicz, Q. (2004). Joining the cause: Al-Muhajiroun and radical Islam. The Roots of Radical Islam, 1-29. The theory of recruitment (syr.edu)

Erin sits down with Matt Jensen, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and co-director of the Center for Applied Social Research at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss extreme rhetoric in online spaces. Key themes include: credibility, deception, social identities, and the mirror and boomerang effects of viewing extreme messaging.

Erin sits down with Diane Mack, director of emergency management for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, to discuss emergency response in the wake of critical infrastructure failures.

Resources

Plan For Disasters: https://www.ready.gov/

Team Rubicon: https://teamrubiconusa.org/

Erin sits down with NCITE senior research associate Tin Nguyen, Ph.D., to discuss the challenges of outdoor event security and the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

Tune in Thursday at 12 p.m. CT | 1 p.m. ET for the latest webinar in NCITE's 2024 Speaker Series: "Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in the U.S.".

Link: https://events.unomaha.edu/event/ncite-webinar-behind-the-policy-threat-assessment-management-in-the-us?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=UNO+Events

Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives, to discuss the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Hunter shares his research examining the U.S. domestic violent extremist landscape. 

Erin sits down with sociologist and NCITE researcher Pete Simi, Ph.D. to discuss white supremacy in the U.S. today. Simi co-authored the book Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can Be Stopped in 2023 along with sociologists Kathleen Blee, Ph.D. and Robert Futrell, Ph.D.

Guest host Blake Ursch sits down with NCITE graduate student Callie Vitro to discuss what it means to be an early career researcher studying terrorism and violent extremism. Vitro talks about her recent trip to the U.K. and explains how a beloved TV detective sparked her interest in criminology.

Erin speaks with Amira Jadoon, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Clemson University, about the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K), the terror group behind a deadly attack at a concert venue in Moscow.

Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives and professor of industrial and organizational psychology to discuss how extremists could use AI technology to cause harm. 

Ben sits down with Erin Kearns, Ph.D., NCITE director of law enforcement partnerships, and visiting scholar Adam Ghazi-Tehrani, Ph.D., associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Indiana University. The two discuss their research into the similarities and differences in 1) the scholarship on, 2) the public conceptualization of, and 3) the public attitudes toward punishment for terrorism, hate crimes, and other forms of mass violence. 

Host Erin Grace sits down with Austin Doctor, Ph.D., NCITE head of counterterrorism research initiatives and an assistant professor of political science at UNO, to discuss a drone strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. servicemen and a pair of New York brothers who were found with a cache of weapons that included improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ghost guns.

Ben sits down with two of the authors of a new NCITE report on malign case studies of AI: NCITE Senior Scientist Sam Hunter, Ph.D., and I-O psychology doctoral student Alexis D'Amato. They discuss malign use of specialized, unconstrained LLM's, AI-generated music, autonomous weapons systems (AWS), and more. Follow this link to read the full list of case studies: "Examining the Malign Use of AI: A Case Study Report" by Emma Theobald, Alexis d'Amato et al.

For more NCITE research on AI, check out the below articles: 

• Examining Similarity-Attraction Principle and Intergroup Conflict on Malevolent Creativity Ideation
• Harnessing Harm: Artificial Intelligence’s Role in the Amplification of Malevolent Creativity and Innovation

Erin sits down with NCITE Research Associates Bettina Rottweiler, Ph.D., and Brenna Helm, ABD, to discuss their burgeoning research on youth recruitment and mobilization to violent extremism. They touch on the rise of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), populations that are especially at risk, and the environments that are leading young people to seek out extreme content. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin sits down with Austin Doctor, Ph.D., NCITE director of strategic initiatives, and Joel Elson, Ph.D., NCITE director of IS&T research initiatives, to discuss their research on malign actors' exploitation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The research is a part of a larger project examining malign use of existing and emerging geospatial technologies. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Ben Battafarano sits down with Eva Burklund, UNO senior and NCITE communications student worker, to discuss her career at NCITE and her future plans. Eva began at NCITE three years ago this week, and will graduate Friday with a bachelor of arts in communications and a bachelor of science in political science. In the fall, she will pursue doctoral studies in communications at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Special note: Eva coined the name of our podcast!

Erin sits down with Seamus Hughes, NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate, to discuss domestic prosecution and sentencing of members of ISIS and the group 764. A nationally recognized expert in the U.S. federal court search system, PACER, Hughes founded and runs the website Court Watch, which provides analysis of federal court filings, search warrants, and indictments. In 2022, he was a part of a New York Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their reporting on law enforcement in America.

This podcast was recorded at 9am on Thursday, May 8.

For more on 764, see NCITE's Austin Doctor, Ph.D., featured in an exposé of the group published by ABC Action News–Tampa Bay: FBI warns of sadistic new online threat that landed Tampa teen in prison.