Dr. Zacharias Pieri

 Zacharias Pieri, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Security at the University of South Florida. He is an expert on extremism and has led projects on jihadist groups in west Africa, including Boko Haram, Islamic State affiliates, and Al-Qaeda affiliates, including how they use social media and new technologies to advance their agendas He also works on the rise of ethno-nationalist extremism in the United States. He is author of three books, and numerous peer-reviewed articles which focus on the relationships between religion, politics and violence.

He regularly advises US and UK governments on aspects of conflict in Africa, and gave a keynote address at the annual Flintlock training exercise in 2020. Pieri contributes insights in the media including the BBC, Canadian Television News, the Washington Post, and Les Temps among others. At USF, Pieri has served on the Task Force for Strategic Renewal which oversaw the writing of the University's new strategic plan in 2021. He was awarded his PhD in Ethno-Politics from the University of Exeter where he established himself as a world expert on the Tablighi Jamaat Islamist movement. His undergraduate studies were completed at the University of St. Andrews, UK.

Email: zpieri@usf.edu