Dr. Zacharias Pieri is an Associate Professor of International Relations and National Security at the University of South Florida (USF). His research focuses on insurgencies, extremist movements, and great power competition. He is the author of four books, including the newly published Governance, Grievance, and Violent Extremism in West Africa: From the Caliphates to Great Power Competition (2025), as well as numerous peer-reviewed articles and policy briefings. He has led major projects on Islamist insurgencies in West Africa—covering Boko Haram, Islamic State affiliates, and Al-Qaeda networks—as well as on the rise of ethno-nationalist movements in the United States.
At USF, Dr. Pieri teaches courses in international security and conflict studies, supervises graduate research, and contributes to university leadership. He served on the Task Force for Strategic Planning, which developed USF’s 2022–2027 strategic plan.
Dr. Pieri frequently advises UK and US government agencies on security challenges in Africa and beyond. In 2020, he delivered the keynote address at the annual Flintlock military exercise in Mauritania, engaging with senior military and government leaders. His analysis is also featured in leading outlets such as the BBC and The Washington Post.
He earned his PhD in Ethno-Politics from the University of Exeter, where he became a recognized authority on the Tablighi Jamaat movement. He also holds a Master’s degree with distinction in Modern Middle East Studies from Exeter and an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Modern History from the University of St. Andrews.
Dr. Pieri is available to consult on matters of insurgency, terrorism, and national and international security.
Click here to read about how the Coronavirus can also impact the civic health of the US.
Click here to read about Dr. Pieri’s new book, Boko Haram and the Drivers of Islamist Violence.
Boko Haram and the Driver’s of Islamist Violence is now out! Purchase your copy here
Click here for Dr. Pieri’s latest publication on Takfir & the factionalization of Boko Haram
Dr. Pieri Presented a paper on the future of Boko Haram at the Annual Meeting of the
Association for the Sociology of Religion in Montreal, 13 August 2017
Dr. Zacharias Pieri
Dr. Zacharias Pieri is an Associate Professor of International Relations and National Security at the University of South Florida (USF). He is author of three books, and numerous peer-reviewed articles which focus on the relationships between religion, politics and violence. He is a respected expert on extremism and has lead projects on Islamist extremism in west Africa, including Boko Haram, Islamic State affiliates, and Al-Qaeda affiliates, as well as projects on the rise of ethno-nationalist and far-right extremism in the United States.
At USF, as well as teaching classes and supervising graduate students, Pieri served on the Task Force for Strategic Renewal which oversaw the writing of the University's new strategic plan (2022-2027).
He regularly advises UK and US governments on aspects of conflict in Africa and gave a keynote address at the annual Flintlock training exercise in Mauritania in 2020. Pieri contributes insights in the media including the BBC and the Washington Post among others.
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 movement. His Masters in Modern Middle East Studies with distinction was also from Exeter, and prior to that he graduated from the University
of St. Andrews.
Dr. Pieri is available to consult on matters relating to National and International Security.
Click here to read about how the Coronavirus can also impact the civic health of the US.
Click here to read about Dr. Pieri’s new book, Boko Haram and the Drivers of Islamist Violence.
Boko Haram and the Driver’s of Islamist Violence is now out! Purchase your copy here
Click here for Dr. Pieri’s latest publication on Takfir & the factionalization of Boko Haram
Dr. Pieri Presented a paper on the future of Boko Haram at the Annual Meeting of the
Association for the Sociology of Religion in Montreal, 13 August 2017
