Cynthia Miller-Idriss Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education Justice, Law & Criminology
- Additional Positions at AU
- Director, Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL)
- Degrees
- PhD Sociology, University of Michigan; MPP Public Policy, University of Michigan; MA Sociology, University of Michigan; AB Sociology and German Area Studies, magna cum laude, Cornell University
- Bio
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Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a sociologist and professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education, and is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL).
Dr. Miller-Idriss regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress or briefs policy, security, education and intelligence agencies in the U.S., the United Nations, and other countries on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of seven books, most recently including 'Just Grab the Bitch': How Misogyny Fuels Mass Violence (Princeton University Press, 2025), Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right (Princeton University Press, 2022) and The Extreme Gone Mainstream: Commercialization and Far Right Youth Culture in Germany (Princeton University Press, 2018). She has also published over one hundred peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and essays on nationalism, extremism, education, higher education and internationalization.
In addition to her academic work, Miller-Idriss writes frequently for mainstream audiences. She is an opinion columnist at MSNBC, and has additional recent by-lines in Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, CNN, The Hill, Politico, The Guardian, Le Monde, Salon, and more. She appears regularly in the media as an expert source and political commentator, including regular appearances on Fareed Zakaria GPS as well as other CNN news programs, PBS News Hour, NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, MSNBC's Meet the Press Daily with Chuck Todd and Hardball with Chris Matthews, NBC's Evening News with Lester Holt and The Today Show, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, ABC's Good Morning America, and in global news outlets in over a dozen countries, including BBC News, Deutsche Welle, France 24, al Jazeera and more.
Dr. Miller-Idriss’ research has been funded by grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.K. Cabinet, the Lumina Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Economic and Social Research Council (U.K.) and the Goethe Institute, among others. From 2009-2012 she was a nominated fellow in the Teagle Foundation’s National Forum on the Future of Liberal Education. She has received several research and teaching awards, including the 2019 DC Sociological Society's Morris Rosenberg Award and a 2013-14 global fellowship from Morphomata Center for Advanced Studies at the Universität zu Köln, Germany. Dr. Miller-Idriss serves on the international advisory board of the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) in Oslo, Norway, and is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Tracking Hate and Extremism Advisory Committee.
Prior to her arrival at èßäÉçÇøapp University in August 2013, Dr. Miller-Idriss was a tenured professor at New York University, and also taught previously at the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Sociology and German Area Studies from Cornell University.
- See Also
- Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL)
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2025
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EDU-386 Terrorism, Extremism & Educ
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
extremism, far-right movements, youth radicalization, higher education
Additional Information
Cynthia Miller-Idriss is Founding Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL).
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.