Dr. Kurt Braddock (Ph.D., Penn State, 2012) is a Senior Fellow at the Orion Policy Institute (OPI), specializing in issues related to extremist communication and radicalization to violence. He is an Associate Professor of Public Communication at American University, where he also holds affiliations with the Center for Media and Social Impact; the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology; and the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). Kurt’s work centers on the role of communication in the development of beliefs and attitudes that promote the use of terrorism as a means of achieving political change. He has authored dozens of articles and chapters on these topics, as well two books — Weaponized Words: The Strategic Role of Persuasion in Violent Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and Crying Havoc: How Violent Subtext Triggers Far-Right Extremism, Hate, and Terror (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2027). Kurt is passionate about the collection and application of empirical data, data science, and quantitative methods to offer evidence-based solutions to reduce the risk of political violence.
