A Persistent Question
I spent much of my career studying the psychology of conflict, political violence, and extremism. Along the way, one question kept returning:
If we understand so much about how democracies break down, why do we apply so little of that knowledge to protecting them?
I couldn't find the place where political psychology met democratic practice.
So I built it.
Background & Research
State of Mind is the result – bringing psychological insight into democratic life. It draws on years of academic research, teaching, and public work.
I received my Ph.D. in Political Science (Political Psychology) from Aarhus University in Denmark and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. I previously held a faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island.
My research examines the psychological foundations of political violence, radicalization, and democratic collapse. It has received international awards and competitive funding and has been published in peer-reviewed journals. My work has also been covered extensively in international media.
In late 2025, I left my academic position in the United States as political pressure on science and democratic institutions intensified. State of Mind grew out of that moment.
My Conviction
The decision to leave academia was a response to the very dynamics State of Mind now addresses. When the institutions designed to produce and protect knowledge come under pressure, the knowledge itself needs new channels. State of Mind is one of those channels – a place where psychological science serves democratic practice directly.
Psychology for Democracy
Psychology can be exploited to divide, destabilize, and deceive.
It can also be understood, anticipated, and resisted.
State of Mind is built on the conviction that psychological literacy is essential to building durable, compassionate, and effective democracies.
Thank you for the work you do – and for the future you're helping to build. I'm honored to stand alongside you in it.
