Western Balkans Security Studies

Dr. Cihan Aydiner is an Assistant Professor and program director of Homeland Security at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide (ERAU-W). He has had prior academic and professional roles at Louisiana State University, Hybridcore (an AI-Powered Decision-Making Company), and Army.

Edward Salo is a history professor and the Heritage Studies Ph.D. program associate director at Arkansas State University. He received his Ph.D. in Public History and MA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and a BS from East Tennessee State University.

Jon Crocker is a U.S. Army veteran (1983-2007) serving with NATO from 1997-2000 from Stuttgart, Germany as part of SOCEUR with multiple combat deployments throughout the former Yugoslavia and Kosovo. Most notably, he served as a courier between the UN-ICTY at The Hague, the EUCOM HQ of the NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and the SFOR Commander in Sarajevo.

Dr. Ibrahim Kocaman is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Security Studies & International Affairs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science (with a focus on Comparative Politics and International Relations) from the University of North Texas in 2022.

John M. Dickens (Ph.D. UNT) is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina. He attained a B.S degree in History at the United States Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force on active duty for over 22 years. He received an M.S. degree in Logistics Supply Chain Management from AFIT, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas.

Mustafa Kirisci is an adjunct professor at Moravian University. His research interests fall in terrorism, civil conflict, cybersecurity, interstate conflict and civil-military relations studies. His peer-reviewed papers appear in well-known journals of security studies, such as International Interactions, Terrorism and Political Violence, Government and Opposition, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Defense and Peace Economics, Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict.

Dr. John Sunday Ojo obtained a PhD from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. He earned a Master of Arts in Global Development from the University of Leeds in the UK and a Master of Science in Urban Management and Development with a concentration in Environment, Sustainability, and Climate Change from Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Dr. Sedat Cevikparmak is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at NATO Veterans Initiative - NAVI. Graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1997, he specialized in Nuclear Engineering and Foreign Area Studies (FAS) with a focus on the Middle East. His military career spanned from 1997 to 2016, concluding with a role at the International Military Staff - NATO HQ in Brussels.

Ugur Orak, Ph.D., is a criminologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University. His research interests include developmental and life-course criminology, mental health, and military sociology.

As a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a former senior civil servant, Mr. Umit Kurt is dedicated to advancing the field of international relations as a Ph.D. researcher at UCLouvain in international relations in Belgium. His research delves into the dynamics of International Institutions with their diverse members, the ethics of reconciliation, the complexities of migration, and the overarching governance of digital ecosystems.

Hasan Bilgin is a highly accomplished military professional specializing in special operations, strategic planning, and leadership. With extensive experience in key staff and command roles, he excels in managing high-stakes missions, coordinating complex operations, and developing innovative defense solutions.

Tim Pappa is a cyber deception theorist and practitioner with Walmart Global Tech’s Cyber Deception Operations team. Tim was previously a Supervisory Special Agent and certified profiler with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), one of the only FBI profilers in the world specializing in online influence and cyber deception.

John McGuinness has over 30 years of experience working in the U.S. federal government in a wide range of military, diplomatic and intelligence assignments until his retirement at the end of 2009. He spent the last nine years of his career working in the Intelligence Community, with the last five years devoted to the nexus between counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation.

Hamdi Kavak is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, who blends his academic prowess with a diverse professional background that includes military service. With a focus on data science, he leads interdisciplinary research projects involving participants ranging from high school students to full professors.

Dr. Hasan Celik is an accomplished academic and professional with a distinguished military and academic career recognized with numerous awards and honors. Currently serving as an assistant professor of management at Robert Morris University, Dr. Celik is a logistics, operations, and supply chain management specialist with a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas.

Ana is a consultant and analyst specializing in security and governance issues. She is a partner at SOTER4 and a lead researcher at the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET), where she also coordinates the Observatory of West Africa program. Ana leads multiple projects and research teams focused on defense, peace, and security, particularly in the Sahel, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Nicholas James Redic is a Junior Research Fellow at NAVI, working with the Regional Security Studies program. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and European Union studies from the University of Tartu in Estonia, as well as bachelor’s degrees in Global Business and Finance from Cedarville University in the United States.

Ezi Ozoani is a talented Applied Ethics Research Engineer passionate about making AI more accessible to everyone. Using cutting-edge deep learning techniques through cross-industry collaborations, she provides various government bodies and representatives invaluable technical and ethical expertise. Ezi focuses on transforming research findings into practical code while emphasising ethical and inclusive practices.