Thomas Hegghammer
 Dr Thomas Hegghammer is a senior research fellow at FFI and currently head of FFI's Terrorism Research Group. He holds a PhD in political science from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris and M.A. and M.Phil. degrees in Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University. Dr. Hegghammer specialises in the study of Islamist ideology, Islamism in Saudi Arabia, and the Muslim foreign fighter phenomenon. He is the author of Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979 (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and the co-author of al-Qaida in its own words (Harvard University Press, 2008). He is currently writing a book about the ideologue Abdallah Azzam and the Arab fighters in the 1980s Afghanistan war, also for Cambridge University Press.
Brynjar Lia
Dr Brynjar Lia is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Defense Research Est. (FFI). Trained in Russian, Arabic and Middle Eastern studies, Dr Lia obtained his PhD in contemporary Middle Eastern history at the University of Oslo. He was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University from 2001-2, has spent many years in the Middle East, and has been interviewed and/or cited on terrorism issues by the BBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time Magazine, CNN.com, and a number of other international media outlets. Dr Lia is the author of a number of acclaimed books on terrorism, Islamism and the Middle East. They include: The Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt 1928-42 (Ithaca Press, 1998); Globalisation and the Future of Terrorism: Patterns and Preditions (Routledge, 2005); A Police Force without a State: A History of the Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank and Gaza (Ithaca Press, 2006); Building Arafat’s Police: The Politics of International Police Assistance in the Palestinian Territories After the Oslo Agreement (Ithaca Press, 2007), and Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of al-Qaida Strategist Abu Mus'ab al-Suri (London and NY: Hurst & Columbia Univ. Press, 2007/8).
Petter Nesser
Mr Petter Nesser is a research fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). He is trained in the areas of Social Science, Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. Mr Nesser has conducted extensive research on Jihadi terrorism in Western Europe (2003 onwards) while focusing on motivational factors, recruitment and radicalization processes. His work includes well-known research reports such as Jihad in Europe and The Slaying of the Dutch Filmmaker, which have been widely read and cited. Mr Nesser’s most recent publications include: "Chronology of Jihadism in Western Europe 1994-2007: Planned, Prepared, and Executed Terrorist Attacks", Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, October 2008; "How Did Europe's Global Jihadis Obtain Training for their Militant Causes?" Terrorism and Political Violence, April 2008; and " Jihadism in Western Europe after the invasion of Iraq", Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, June 2006, Mr Nesser is currently working on a book project dealing with Sunni Islamist militancy in Europe, 1994-2009. Mr Nesser has communicated his research findings at academic institutions and conferences in Norway, as well as internationally, and to the public media.
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Jacob Aasland Ravndal Mr Jacob Aasland Ravndal is a doctoral candidate with FFIs Terrorism Research Group. He studies far-right extremism with an emphasis on counterjihad ideology and movements. Previously he has conducted research on risk- and vulnerability assessment methodologies related to strategic cybersecurity, intelligence analysis in international peace operations and the protection of civilians in UN peacekeeping. Ravndal holds an M.Phil in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo.
Email: jacob-aasland.ravndal@ffi.no Office phone: +47 63 80 77 66
Anne Stenersen
Ms Anne Stenersen is a doctoral candidate with FFI’s Terrorism Research Group. With an academic background in Middle Eastern studies, Arabic and Russian, she has conducted research on militant Islamism, with a focus on CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) terrorism, al-Qaeda’s use of the Internet, and the Taliban insurgency. Ms. Stenersen’s recent publications include: Al-Qaida’s quest for weapons of mass destruction: The history behind the hype (Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag, February 2009); “The Internet: A virtual training camp?” Terrorism and Political Violence (April 2008); “Chem-bio cyber class: Assessing jihadist chemical and biological manuals”; Jane’s Intelligence Review (September 2007); "Are the Afghan Taliban Involved in International Terrorism?", CTC Sentinel, (September 2009); and "The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan: organization, leadership and worldview", FFI Research Report, No.2010/00359. Ms. Stenersen has a B.A. in Cultural and Social Sciences from the University of Bergen, and an M.Phil in Asian and African Studies from the University of Oslo. She is currently preparing a doctorate on The Taliban insurgency and al-Qaeda-Taliban relations.
Truls Hallberg Tønnessen
Mr Truls Tønnessen is a historian and research fellow at FFI’s Terrorism Research Group. His key research area includes Insurgency in Iraq, with a special focus on al-Qaeda. Mr. Tønnessen is currently pursuing a PhD on the Iraqi insurgency at the University of Oslo. He has also conducted research on transport-related terrorism, such as aviation and maritime terrorism. Prior to this, Mr. Tønnessen studied History and Arabic at the University of Oslo. His dissertation, titled “Islamisation of the Egyptian Student Movement 1970 – 1981,” dealt with the rise of the Egyptian al-Gama`a al-Islamiyya.
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