top of page

Meet the Team

Alla G. Khadka
Center Director, Principal Investigator

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: asg38@pitt.edu

 

The main thrust of Alla's work at SNAC has been in developing data collection algorithms and methods of analysis for large scale networks, including knowledge systems, information networks and criminal network. Her current research projects focus on terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and U.S. security strategy in Afghanistan as the most pressing challenges to the U.S. national security. Prior to her work at SNAC,  Alla served as Principal Investigator at the Nuclear Security Task Force. This was a joint project of doctoral students from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh aimed at assessing the issue of nuclear security. Using ORA and Analyst Notebook, we built networks of individuals and organizations engaged in nuclear trade with Iran and North Korea. The ultimate goal was to arrive at a better understanding of the nuclear trade and use the findings to inform US nuclear strategy toward such volatile actors as Iran, North Korea and Pakistan. From April 2011 to 2012 Alla worked with Dr. Kathleen Carley at Carnegie Mellow University, in her research unit on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) weapons funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Before entering a Phd program at the University of Pittsburgh, Alla studied at the University of Washington and Georgetown University. Her previous awards include NSF grant. She is a member of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society.

 

Ryan E. Franzer - Research Associate
MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies
​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: ref44@pitt.edu


Ryan's work at the Collaboration is focused on analyzing the the Iran's nuclear material supply network. His other research interests include political Islamist parties and dynamic network analysis of criminal networks. Prior to this project, Ryan  conducted research on terrorism, intelligence analysis, and counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. He has also served as a contributing writer for the Matthew P. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.  Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts  in International Studies from The Ohio State University.  He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa honors fraternity and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Before attending graduate school, Ryan worked as a language and cultural fellow for AMIDEAST Tunisia.

Eamonn Berry - Research Associate

MA Candidate in Int'l Political Economy

Certificate in Latin American Social and Public Policy

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: EFB6@pitt.edu



Eamonn is a research associate at SNA Collaboration responsible for the IPE arm of the project. The focus of his research is on social network analysis of knowledge systems in the IPE field. In this context he evaluates research on development aid in Africa and Latin America. His other research interests include the changing nature of governance and the role of public institutions within the international system. Eamonn is currently serving on the Executive Board of a local community development non-profit and working on an advocacy project with the U.S. Department of State. He will intern for the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Summer of 2013. Prior to graduate school, Eamonn worked in electoral politics at the state and federal level and also worked at a law firm specializing in intellectual property.

 

Jeffrey L. Carasiti - Data Analyst

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: jlc140@pitt.edu



In his capacity as Data Analyst, Jeffrey is developing new techniques for analyzing information and communication networks related to security issues. He is also a graduate research assistant to the Director of Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies. Jeffrey is conversational in Chinese, beginning Japanese language studies, and has a particular interest in information networks, security cooperation and China-US relations. Prior to the MPIA program, Jeffrey worked at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies as a research assistant. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice, Certificate in Global Studies, Certificate in Asian Studies, and a Minor in Chinese. He will be spending the 2013-2014 academic year studying US, Chinese, and Japanese networks of missile technology, knowledge, and disarmament exchanges at the University of Kobe.

Megan Thomas
Research Associate, Terrorist Ogranisations Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: mmt5094@gmail.com



Megan's research interests include dynamic network analysis of knowledge systems and information networks. She is also interested in global security, counterterrorism and assessment of dark networks. In 2012 Megan was with the Afghanistan Unit conducting research on U.S.  security strategy in Afghanistan. Currently Megan is a part of the Terrorism Organizations Unit where she applies network, statistical and econometric analysis to assess terrorist incidents in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  She received her undergraduate degree in International Politics from Penn State University. While at Penn State University, she worked at the International Center for the Study of Terrorism. She is currently affiliated with University of Pittsburgh's Ridgeway Center for International Security Studies and works at the Pittsburgh Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.  She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the national collegiate liberal arts honorary society.

Abigail R. Stark - Data Analyst

MA Candidate in Public Affairas and Urban and Regional Development
​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: ARS156@pitt.edu

A Data Analyst at the Collaboration Abigail coordinates and conducts analysis for both the healthcare and the international political economy projects. She has a strong interest in social network analysis particularly related to health care and public administration. In addition to her role at the Collaboration, Abigail is a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Metropolitan Studies where she develops recommendations for HUD addressing the barriers of housing for ex-offenders in Pittsburgh. Abigail is also working with the University Center for Social and Urban Research on a housing analysis of the Hilltop communities in Pittsburgh. She is a member of Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society in Social Sciences.

2012-2013 Team

Jonas Gamso, PhD (c)
Affiliate Member

International Political Economy and International Development

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: mmt5094@gmail.com



Jonas is an affiliated member of the Collaboration. He is interested in social network analysis and comparative analysis of knowledge networks. Jonas’ primary research areas include trade and redistribution and Latin American political economy.​

Sean Michael Cercone
Data Analyst, Terrorist Organizations Unit; NPT Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: SMC163@pitt.edu



In his capacity as Data Analyst, Sean brings his expertise in terrorism and technical aspects of nuclear programs.  His responsibilities at Terrorism Organizations Unit involve connecting network and geospatial analysis with theories concerning types of terrorist attacks, their success rate and weapons used by insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sean graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in 2011 with a double major BA in Political Science and History.  While attending college, he served 7 years in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard as an Avionic, Guidance, and Control Systems Specialist.  He has deployed to Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.  As a Staff Sergeant, Sean had the responsibility of leading, supervising, and training four airmen of his flight.  He earned the title of Honor Graduate of Basic Military Training and was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal in recognition of his quick and effective response to a faulty hanger-fire suppression system, saving the integrity of a multi-million dollar aircraft and operation. He aspires to work for the government on nuclear nonproliferation.

Miriam Awadallah
Research Associate, Afghanistan Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: miriam.awadallah@gmail.com



Miriam's work at SNAC focuses on evaluation of research on U.S. security strategy in Afghanistan. Currently, Miriam is preparing two manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The objective of the first study  is to quantitatively assess knowledge base on U. S. security strategy in Afghanistan in terms of key and peripheral authors, journals, subject areas, funding agencies, organizations and countries engaged in terrorism research and quality of generated work. Dynamic network analysis is used to investigate research collaboration networks of authors, journals, and organizations. The second study explores the level of evidence use in security studies literature on Afghanistan to determine whether there is any statistically significant relationship between quality of terrorism research and factors such as author's position in the publication network, organizations (government, university, industry), funding agencies, and countries that are contributing to IR knowledge base on Afghanistan. Miriam did her undergraduate work at George Washington University where she received her BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies. While at GWU, she completed a semester abroad at the University of Haifa in Israel. Previously, Miriam has conducted research on Security Sector Reform in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Political Islam, and Counterterrorism in Turkey. In addition to her research, she has also completed internships at the American Task Force on Palestine, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, DC. She occasionally contributes to the Huffington Post.

Jikuo Lu
Affiliate Member

PhD student,  International Political Economy and International Development

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public & Int'l Affairs
E-mail: jil123@pitt.edu



Jikuo is an affiliated member of the Collaboration that assisted us  with developing data collection algorithm for citation network analysis of IPE knowledge systems. His research is focused on development aid in Africa.​

Johanna E. Steenrod, PhD (c) 
Co-Principal Investigator, 2012-13

University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public Health
E-mail: jes189@pitt.edu



The SNA Colaboration Co-PI, Johanna has special expertise in the study of knowledge systems related to healthcare. She is interested in how communication networks evolve among individuals and organizations that influence the healthcare system and understanding dynamics of the change. In addition to citation and dynamic network analysis, she hopes to explore semantic network analysis and is helping to develop instruments to measure network change. Johanna is also a graduate student researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute. Her research interests there include organizational and policy level factors that affect the delivery of primary care with a particular focus on the use of interprofessional teams and care delivery in rural settings. Before attending the University of Pittsburgh, Johanna worked as a consultant in the Healthcare Industry Group at Alvarez and Marsal. She consulted on a variety of projects, involving qualitative and quantitative analysis to achieve acquisitions, restructurings, and strategic realignments. Prior to Alvarez and Marsal, she worked at GE Commercial Finance in underwriting and portfolio management.

Michael Byers
Research Associate, Terrorism Research Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: MAB415@pitt.edu

 

 

Mike's research background is in political violence and terrorism. Prior to his work at SNAC, Mike conducted research on use of terrorism in Algeria. His other research projects include a paper on Structural Adjustment Programs in the developing world presented at the 2012 Indiana Political Science Association Conference.  In 2012 Mike served as Campaign Intern for Andre Carson for Congress. In addition to helping with day to day campaign operations, Mike represented the Congressman at multiple events, such as local political club meetings and the Indiana Black Expo. From 2009 to 2013 Mike was San Damiano Scholar, Marian University.

Duran Ward
Data Analyst, Terrorist Ogranisations Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh

Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs

Email: DRW56@pitt.edu



Duran's work at SNAC focuses on terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Specifically, he develops statistical models to investigate what factors contribute to success or failure of terrorist incidents.  Duran received his B. A. Degree in International Relations & Statistics from Boston University, Cum Laude. During his time at Boston University Duran participated in Army ROTC and received the Army Academic Achievement Award. His other awards include Military Officers Association of America Award, 2009. In 2012 Duran traveled across North Africa researching various languages, religions, and cultures of Algeria, Morocco, and the Western Sahara. Prior to entering Boston University, Duran studied at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha National  Honor Society.

Alexander M. Halman
Project Manager, Head of Terrorist Organisations Unit

PhD Student, Security and Intelligence Studies

University of Pittsburgh

Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs

E-mail: amh225@pitt.edu

 

Alexander's expertise is in public management and terrorist networks.  As  Head of Terrorist Organizations Unit Alexander develops Dynamic Network Analysis and regression models to identify,  trace, and analyze the most successful  terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan that inflict the greatest damage. The aim of this research is to inform policymakers and the United States Armed Forces.  Concurrently with his work at SNAC, Alexander is a Graduate Student Assistant at the Ford Institute for Human Security and provides research support to Dr. Ryan Grauer with his ongoing work regarding civil-military relations and prisoners of war.  His primary research interests include civil wars, political violence and radicalization, international security, and China using quantitative and network methodologies. Alexander received his Master of Public Administration and his BA (*Cum Laude*) in Political Science with minors in Global Studies and Chinese from Binghamton University.  There, he conducted research on Pennsylvania local governments’ capacity to manage hydraulic fracturing and presented the findings at the 2013 ASPA conference in New Orleans.  Alexander's prior affiliations include the United Nations and the Binghamton Police Department.

Darren J. Hedlund
Data Analyst, Terrorist Organizations Unit

MA Candidate in Security and Intelligence Studies

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs

E-mail: DJH90@pitt.edu


Darren’s work at SNAC is focused on analyzing trends of terrorist organizations. By using the World Terror Database, Darren uses a combination of regression and social network analysis to provide quantitative assessment and visualizations of terrorist organizations’ methods of attack, choice of target, and choice of weapons. Darren also contributes at the Matthew P. Ridgway Center for Int’l Security Studies, where he researches the United Kingdom based Islamist group, al-Muhajiroun. Prior to joining SNAC, Darren was a Research Associate at the Government Research Bureau where he worked on multiple data-driven public safety technical reports, as well as a program evaluation for a federally-funded mentor program. He graduated Magna Cum Laude at the University of South Dakota majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Darren is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society and Mortar Board National Senior College Society.

Alex S. Heit
Data Analyst, Terrorism Research Unit

MA Candidate in Policy Research and Analysis
University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: ash78@pitt.edu

 

 

Alex' reserch at SNAC is on social network analysis of terrorism research. In this context he researches and evaluates existing literature within the field of terrorism studies.  He is also responsible for data cleaning and coding.  Alex is currently working for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Data Analysis Research and Evaluation conducting a pilot study analyzing the outcomes of LGBTQ youth in the county.  He worked as a research fellow during the summer of 2013 for the National Human Services Assembly assessing the current state of affairs for at-risk youth and contributed to the knowledge field by publishing a policy brief for the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  Prior to graduate school, Alex worked for The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Alex graduated from Rhodes College with a BA in International Relations in 2008. 

 

Lizette Ponce Fernandez
Data Analyst, Terrorism Research Unit

MA Candidate in Int'l Political Economy

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: LCP19@pitt.edu

 

 

As Data Analyst for the Terrorism Research Unit Lizette's work here centers on data collection, coding, and cleaning. She handles large scale datasets preparing them for statistical, geospatial and network analyses. A Fulbright Scholar pursuing her MA degree in International Development Lizette is also pursuing a Certificate in Latin American Social and Public Policy. She is a part of the Leadership Portfolio Program of the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and serves on the Board of Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, a local environmental non-profit. While completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance at Universidad San Francisco de Quito-Ecuador Lizette participated in an exchange program at Georgetown University. Before coming to GSPIA, Lizette worked as Consultant Coordinator for one of the most renowned Actuarial Consultancy Companies in Ecuador and was involved in designing Institutional Reform for the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture (MAGAP) and the National Secretary of Planning and Development (SENPLADES) both as intern of the FAO and the GIZ, respectively. Last summer, Lizette collaborated with the Embassy of Ecuador in the United States as a graduate intern.

Candence D. Wills
Research Associate, Terrorism Research Unit

MA Candidate in International Development

​University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School  of Public and International Affairs
E-mail: cdw10@pitt.edu

 

 

At SNAC Candence works on a project focusing on evaluating terrorism research knowledge base. Based on a model developed at SNAC, research on terrorism is visualized and analyzed as evolving networks of authors, organizations, journals and countries. Candence performs data coding, raking publications for quality, and preparing data on organizations for geospatial analysis. Candence completed her undergraduate degree in May 2007 with a Bachelors of Arts at the University of Pittsburgh. She majored in Communications: Rhetoric, minored in Political Science, and have two related areas in Theatre and Spanish. She currently works in the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh as an Administrative Assistant and Grand Rounds/CME Coordinator. She have received Acknowledgements in Domsic et al. "Derivation and Validation of a Prediction Rule for Two Year Mortality in Early Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis" submitted to Arthritis and Rheumatism March 2013.

bottom of page