Louis M. Wasser

Louis M. Wasser is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Unconventional and Asymmetric Threats Division of START, working in the Geospatial Research Unit. Trained as a political scientist (PhD, Yale 2019), Dr. Wasser’s doctoral work and related research focused on the interplay between violent conflict, nonviolent resistance, and institutional politics including elections, exploring trade-offs and synergies between related strategies for both center-seeking and secessionist movements. (The corresponding dataset of secessionist strategies was presented in a co-authored article in the Journal of Conflict Resolution.)

Dr. Wasser’s work at START has involved subjects including resistance to foreign military occupation, variation in violence by transnational criminal organizations, climate security, and malign uses of geospatial technology. He teaches Terrorism Studies courses at UMD College Park and previously lectured at Yale University, where he taught separate seminars on the Arab Spring and on political violence.

Prior to graduate school, Dr. Wasser lived in Cairo from 2007-10, where he worked as a journalist and freelance writer. Before joining START, he also worked in research and policy consulting. Outside of work, Dr. Wasser enjoys spending time with his dog, woodworking, and playing tennis, among other things.

START Projects/Courses

• Weathering Repression Under Foreign Occupation – Principal Investigator
• Comparative Case Studies of Latin American Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations – Principal Investigator
• Current and Emerging Malign Use of Geospatial Technologies to Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Crowded Targets -- Qualitative researcher conducting interviews and desk research, contributing to deliverables
• Climate Security, Great Power Competition, and Adversarial Politics -- Qualitative researcher conducting desk research, contributing to deliverables
• Global Responses to Asymmetric Threats (GRAT) – Quality control support for GRAT data portal
• BSST633: Research Methods in Terrorism and Counterterrorism – Primary instructor (Spring 2025, Spring 2026)
• BSST640: Theories of Security and Terrorism Studies – Primary instructor (Fall 2025)
• BSST630: Motivations and Intents of Terrorists and Terrorist Groups – Primary instructor (Fall 2026)