Dr. Alma Keshavarz is a specialist in political-military affairs and international security, with expertise at the intersection of strategy, intelligence, cyberspace, and foreign policy. She most recently served at U.S. Cyber Command where she worked to integrate cyberspace strategy with DoD and national security objectives, including international partnerships. Her scholarship centers on terrorism in the Middle East, the role of non-state groups in regional conflict, and global security. Her work provides comparative insight into how terrorist and insurgent organizations adapt across contexts, with particular attention to military strategy, irregular warfare, and the use of cyberspace in conflict.
Previously, Dr. Keshavarz served in the Department of Defense and the Office of Policy Planning at the Department of State, where she contributed to policy development on security, strategy and regional affairs. She was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Culture, Advocacy and Leadership at Vanderbilt University, and postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching and publishing on international relations, defense policy, and cyber security. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of California, Davis, an MPP in Public Policy from Pepperdine University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University and is a Council on Foreign Relations term member.