My primary research focus is understanding what motivates people to support or engage in violence to advance their ideologies. I've studied this topic in a wide variety of countries (e.g., USA, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan) and ideological groups (e.g., US Democrats/Republicans, environmentalists, ethnic separatists, extreme right-wing groups, jihadists). I also study perceptions of violent extremism and how they influence public responses (e.g., Islamophobia) and policy responses (e.g., 2017 Muslim travel ban) to violent extremism.

Another ancillary focus of my research is the need for meaning, the effects of having or lacking meaning in life, and the relationship between life beliefs and meaning.