Barnett S. Koven

Koven
Data Science Manager, Deloitte Government & Public Services
Former Investigator
Biography:

Barnett S. Koven is a national security specialist and data scientist with nine years of experience in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and great power competition. He has deep expertise in leading analytics teams applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to national security combining research design, inferential statistics, machine learning and applied AI, survey experimental research, and data visualization. Koven has received research funding from the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS), State, Justice, and Energy, as well as from the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, George Washington University (GWU) and University of Maryland (UMD). He received his Ph.D., M.Phil. and M.A. in Political Science, as well as a B.A. in International Affairs and Latin American and Hemispheric Studies from GWU. In addition, Koven has been accepted into the Executive MBA program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also holds a Certificate in Conflict Analysis from the United States Institute of Peace and a Certificate in Advanced Security in the Field from the United Nations System Staff College. Finally, Koven is the lead author (with Dr. Katy Lindquist) of the forthcoming Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Press book, Barriers to Special Operations Forces – Led Counterterrorism Effectiveness.

Koven is a Manger at Deloitte working as a data scientist in the firm’s federal sector strategy & analytics practice. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at JSOU. Koven previously served as the Training Director, Near-peer Competition Lead Researcher, and Counterterrorism Lead Researcher at UMD’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a DHS Emeritus Center of Excellence. He also founded and served as the CEO of BSK Consulting, LLC, a boutique consultancy specializing in practitioner education and mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) research in support of national security practitioners and policy-makers. Additionally, Koven was a Principal Policy Analyst at Alion Science and Technology Corporation, and a Quantitative Social Scientist at Performance Systems, LLC. He also held academic appointments at GWU, UMD, Florida International University, Universidad de San Martín de Porres (in Lima, Peru), the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Background

Education:
  • The George Washington University, Ph.D., Political Science, 2017
  • The George Washington University, M.Phil., Political Science, 2016
  • The George Washington University, M.A., Political Science, 2015
  • The George Washington University, B.A., International Affairs and Latin American and Hemispheric Studies, summa cum laude, departmental honors, Phi Beta Kappa, 2012
  • United States Institute of Peace, Certificate in Conflict Analysis, 2008
  • United Nations System Staff College, Certificate in Advanced Security in the Field, 2008 
Honors:
  • 2014 Horowitz Foundation Award Research Grant ($7,500), 2015-2016
  • 2014 Harrold D. Lasswell Award Special Recognition Research Grant ($1,500), 2015-2016
  • The George Washington University Fellowship Research Grant (11,250), 2015-2016
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention (one of 15 in political science)
Professional Experience:
  • Data Science Manager, Deloitte Government & Public Services, 2021-Present
  • Training Director, Near-peer Competition Lead Researcher, and Counterterrorism Lead Researcher, START, 2016-2021
  • Co-founder and Chair, The Village Energy Project, Inc., 2009-2017
  • Vice President and Director of Events, Godparents of the Children of Instituto Mundo Libre, 2010-Present
  • Advisor, Concordia, 2016-Present
  • Analyst, McGovern Consulting LLC, 2012-2012
  • Treasurer and Executive Board Member, World Information Transfer, Inc. 2008-2012
  • Volunteer, Healing the Children, 2005-2012
  • Research Associate, Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy, 2008-2009

Selected Publications

Violence in Peru (Book Chapter)
Peru Conflict Profile  (Book Chapter)

News References