Vesna Markovic, PhD

Dr. Markovic has developed a robust career in criminal justice, focusing on terrorism particularly focusing on suicide bombings, financing terrorism, and low-tech terrorist attacks such as vehicle-ramming attacks and mass shootings. Upon obtaining her doctoral degree, she became the Director of the Institute for the Study of Violent Groups (ISVG) at Sam Houston State University in Texas where she also served as Principal Investigator on a number of grants. She began her professional career in academia as an assistant professor at the University of New Haven, and eventually became Assistant Dean for the College of Criminal Justice. She has written widely on the topics of suicide terrorism including an op-ed for Forbes Magazine, and a recent publication (2019) in the journal on Women and Criminal Justice Terrorism special issue called “Suicide Squad: Boko Haram’s use of the female suicide bomber.”  She is also a regular lecturer for the NATO Center of Excellence – Defense against Terrorism (COE-DAT) in Ankara, Turkey. She previously worked as a Private Investigator doing corporate due diligence Investigations at Search International.

Dr. Markovic’s research interests include terrorism, transnational crime, and comparative criminal justice.