Dr. Lorenzo Vidino is the Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University (Washington D.C.) and the Head of The Center on Radicalization and International Terrorism of the Institute for International Political Studies (Milan). An expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, his research over the past 15 years has focused on the mobilization dynamics of jihadist networks in the West; governmental counter-radicalization policies; and the activities of Muslim Brotherhood-inspired organizations in the West.
A native of Italy who holds American citizenship, Dr. Vidino earned a law degree from the University of Milan Law School and a doctorate in international relations from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He has held positions at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the RAND Corporation, and the Center for Security Studies (ETH Zurich).
Dr. Vidino has testified before the U.S. Congress and other parliaments; advised law enforcement officials around the world;
He regularly provides commentary to diverse media outlets and is a columnist for the Italian daily La Stampa. In 2016, he was appointed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi as Coordinator of the National Commission on Jihadist Radicalization.
