Dr Simon Copeland

Simon is a Research Fellow in the Terrorism and Conflict research group at RUSI. His research focuses on violent extremist narratives and networks. Prior to joining RUSI he worked as a researcher at Swansea University examining online terrorist propaganda, in particular, how jihadist and right-wing groups attempt to inspire their supporters. He has also worked as a Research Associate at the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST), where he produced a series of reports on issues related to extremism and the UK counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST). In other roles he has also analysed terrorist and violent extremist groups in Sub-Saharan Africa including Kenya, Somalia, and Nigeria.

Simon completed his PhD in Politics and International Relations from Lancaster University in 2019, which focused on the role of kin and peer networks in shaping violent extremists’ worldviews. He also holds an MA in International Security Studies.