Welcome from our Head Faculty and Program Directors
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By enrolling in our MPS in Security and Terrorism Studies program, you are guaranteed guidance from some of the top experts in the fields of intelligence analysis, national security and terrorism studies. You will learn from distinguished professionals with a comprehensive understanding of global security and terrorism, prepared to equip you with the same critical analysis tools that inspired their successful careers and global impact. Our small class sizes enable you the full attention you need to master your coursework and absorb as much knowledge as possible. Feel free to explore the experts on our faculty and staff below, and please reach out to education-start@umd.edu with any questions.
Meet the Faculty
Markus Binder – Project Manager/Researcher, START | Bio ➔
Markus Binder joined START in August 2013 as a project manager and senior researcher specializing in terrorism involving chemical and biological agents. Prior to joining START, he was an independent consultant providing expertise in the areas of WMD nonproliferation, chemical and biological terrorism, and the spread of MANPADS.
Marcus Boyd – Geospatial Research Unit (GRU) Director, Director of Graduate Studies, START | Bio ➔
Dr. Marcus Boyd is the Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of the Geospatial Research Unit (GRU), where he oversees research relating to terrorism, illicit finance, and GIScience. His research has been funded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and others. Watch a lecture from Dr. Boyd here.
Sara Winegar Budge – Program Director, ExitUSA
Dr. Sara Winegar Budge is the Program Director of ExitUSA, a CVE program that helps individuals leave violent far right movements, and NTT faculty at Western Oregon University. Her research interests include attitudes and behaviors associated with violent extremism, effective secondary and tertiary intervention techniques, and the intersection between psychopathology and ideological violence. Dr. Winegar Budge has worked in community mental health, university counseling, and private practice settings with a diverse array of clients and clinical challenges.
Jeffrey Davis – Department of Political Science Associate Professor and Chair at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Bio ➔
Dr. Jeffrey Davis is the Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His research focuses on human rights justice and international law.
Michael Egnoto – Affiliated Faculty, Clinical Informaticist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research | Bio ➔
Dr. Michael Egnoto is a clinical informaticist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. His research deals with risk and crisis communication in digital environments by focusing on communication in social environments.
Thomas Guarrieri – Director of Undergraduate Studies and Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT) Assistant Research Scientist, START Bio ➔
Tom Guarrieri is an Assistant Research Scientist at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Studies Minor program. At UMD, Guarrieri teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics such as terrorist motivations and behaviors, terrorism prevention, and international security, as well as courses on quantitative methods, statistical computing, and data analysis.
Brook Hefright – Assistant Research Scientist, ARLIS | Bio ➔
Dr. Brook Hefright is an assistant research scientist with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). He has extensive expertise in the areas of language and society in China; sociolinguistics; linguistic anthropology; language contact; documentation, description, and revitalization of endangered and minority languages. International affairs professional with experience managing humanitarian diplomacy and assistance programs and representing the United States in China, Russia, and the former Soviet Union, and Europe. He is a trained translator and proficient in Chinese, Russian, and German.
Samuel D. Henkin – Geospatial Research Unit (GRU) Researcher, START | Bio ➔
Dr. Samuel D. Henkin is a researcher on the Geospatial Research Unit (GRU) at START. His approach to the study of political violence, instability, and conflict is the result of his own geographic education which focused on a rigorous survey of critical theory and methodological multiplicity at the leading-edge of geographic inquiry. Specific research interests include spatial relations of violence in everyday life, the intersections of political geography and security, and political violence in Southeast Asia.
Candace Moix – Analyst, Krebs Stamos Group
Candace Moix is an Analyst at the Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity consulting firm. She formerly worked as a Digital Network Exploitation Analyst for the Department of Defense, and researched extremism at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation. Candace specializes in studying interdisciplinary cyberspace problems and prioritizing analytic rigor in social science research. She holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA in Terrorism, Security, and Society from Kings' College London's War Studies Department, and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Tulsa's CyberCorps program, an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations.
Amy Pate – START Executive Director and Research Director | Bio ➔
Dr. Amy Pate is the Executive Director and Research Director at START. A political scientist specializing in international relations and comparative politics, Pate has worked with START since the center was founded, first through her work on the Minorities at Risk Project and as a START researcher, prior to becoming research director. Pate is trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods, has conducted fieldwork in conflict zones in Africa, and has extensive experience working with researchers in developing countries.
Steve S. Sin – Director of the Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division (UWT), START | Bio ➔
Dr. Sin specializes in a broad range of international security, terrorism, and homeland security challenges. His expertise includes radiological and nuclear (RN) terrorism; illicit trafficking of RN materials; terrorist use of cyber domain; emerging technology; emergency preparedness and management; intelligence/counterintelligence operations, analysis, and exploitation; Northeast Asia regional security; and counter-terrorism training, exercise, and curriculum development. His expertise in Northeast Asia regional security is focused on North Korea, including its nuclear program; cyber capabilities; intelligence apparatus; regime survival; and leadership. His additional regional expertise includes South Korean nuclear program and infrastructure; North-South Korea relations; and Korea-Japan-China trilateral relations.
Maggie Smith – Assistant Professor, United States Military Academy, West Point
Dr. Maggie Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Researcher assigned to the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy, West Point. Her current research includes disinformation and operations in the information environment within the context of great power competition.
Elizabeth Radziszewski - Associate Research Scientist, START | Bio ➔
Dr. Elizabeth Radziszewski is an Associate Research Scientist at START where she co-leads the Global Responses to Asymmetric Threats project. Her research focuses on irregular warfare, international rivalries, foreign policy, and creativity/innovation. She is the author of Private Militaries and the Security Industry in Civil Wars: Competition and Market Accountability (Oxford University Press, 2020) and Social Networks and Public Support for the European Union (Routledge, 2013). Her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and policy magazines such as the Wilson Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Small Wars & Insurgencies, Foreign Policy Analysis, Journal of Global Security Studies, International Interactions, and Political Research Quarterly.
Meet the Staff
Eva Coll – Experiential Education Specialist, START | Bio ➔
Eva Coll is the Experiential Education Specialist at START, managing and overseeing START’s internship program. In this role she collaborates regularly with Center researchers and intern supervisors, supervises and provides professional mentorship for approximately 75 student interns each academic term, and is responsible for the marketing/recruiting for the internship program.
Deanne Winslett – Communications and Transition Manager, START | Bio ➔
Deanne Winslett is the Communications and Transition Manager at START. She designs and implements strategies for communicating about START research, education, and training to a variety of audiences. Before joining START, Deanne worked in journalism and higher education marketing. She earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice and an M.S. Emergency Management.
Liberty Day – Program Director for Education and Training, START | Bio ➔
Liberty Day is the Program Director for Education and Training at START, where she oversees the administration of educational programs including the Global Terrorism Studies Minor, the internship program, the MPS in Security and Terrorism Studies, and the Graduate Certificate in Terrorism Analysis.
