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Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies, University of South Florida

Zacharias Pieri, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. He joined the faculty in 2016, after completing his Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with the Global Initiative on Civil Society and Conflict at the University of South Florida, Tampa. He earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of Exeter, UK, where he also graduated with a Masters degree in Modern Middle East Studies, with distinction. His undergraduate degree is from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, where he read International Relations and Modern History.

Dr. Pieri’s research focuses on the relationships between religion, politics and violence. His focus is on the ideological and strategic development of Boko Haram, and the evolution of Islamic State’s franchises. He has consulted on international projects investigating counter-radical discourses amongst Muslim communities around the world. In the past he has worked on the adaptation of Islamist movements and the contentious politics of mosque construction in the west. He is a world expert on the Tablighi Jamaat movement. Dr. Pieri regularly publishes on Islam in contemporary societies. Dr. Pieri has advised UK and US governments on conflict in Africa. Pieri regularly appears in the media including the BBC, Canadian Television News, the Washington Post, and International Business Times among others.

Experience

  • –present
    Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies, University of South Florida