On April 15, 2013, more than 500,000 people rallied around their loved ones as they ran the annual Boston Marathon. However, by 3 p.m., two homemade bombs placed near the crowded finish line shattered the joyous atmosphere.
More than 500 people were injured -- three lost their lives.
Three days later, one perpetrator was apprehended and later died after being involved in a deadly carjacking and shoot-out with law enforcement. His accomplice escaped until the next day, when he was wounded during yet another shoot-out and apprehended. They were identified as brothers who sought asylum in the U.S. after being forced from their home in Chechnya, a republic of Russia whose struggle for autonomy has resulted in decades of bloody conflict.
America breathed an initial sigh of relief and started asking questions. Dr. Craig Albert, then an assistant professor of political science at Augusta University, was there to field questions.
"When the Boston Marathon bombings happened, I was featured on Fox News for my research on Chechnya and was called to Congress to testify," Dr. Albert recalled. At the time, he was one of the few experts in America with a deep understanding of Chechnya's complex and often troubled history. His insights proved crucial to explaining how and why the brothers were radicalized.
Today, Dr. Albert is an instructor and graduate director of AU's Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) program and its forthcoming PhD in Intelligence, Defense, & Cybersecurity Policy program. However, before getting there, Dr. Albert went through a constant process of adaptation and refocusing.
Discovering a Passion and a Purpose
As an undergraduate, Dr. Albert studied political science and was on track to attend law school. However, shortly before graduating, he realized that his true passion lay in another field entirely. "I was reflecting with my student advisor and we noticed that nothing I did in my undergraduate career was for the legal track. I did the prelaw track, but all the major papers I wrote were on warfare," he said. "My advisor said, 'Why are you trying to go to law school? Go and get your PhD and focus on war.' I had never thought about that as an option or knew it was possible."
Energized by finding his calling, Dr. Albert went on to earn both an MA and a PhD in Political Science and Government. This was when his fascination with and research into Chechnya and the Russian sphere of influence began.
Initially, Dr. Albert planned to spend his career with the CIA. However, as he learned more about the Chechen conflict and global conflict in general, he discovered a love for the philosophical, theoretical and policy-focused side of the field. Just as important, he discovered how he could put his passion for research to work. "I realized if I can understand the causes of these kinds of conflicts, I can figure out how to prevent them. It was a huge turning point in my life," he said. "I want to research war and come up with policy solutions to prevent war from happening."
From there, Dr. Albert developed a person-focused approach to researching the inherently brutal subject of warfare. "That's what drives me. I just want to make sure that I'm always keeping the human element in mind," he said. This motivation played a major role in pushing him toward academia, in which he would get the chance to spread his philosophy.
"I teach this to my students. When we're researching or writing on warfare, cyberwar, and/or influence operations, whatever type of warfare it is, I remind them to not look at this as just data," he said. "You have to keep in mind that these are people just like me and you. Always be aware that the research is going to influence policymakers, which is going to influence people’s lives at the end of the day."
Staying Current in a Changing Field and World
While Dr. Albert found his human-centered approach to security studies early in his career, that's been about the only constant he can count on. Outside of that, his field is in a constant state of flux. After 9/11 and subsequent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, warfare and security studies shifted away from conventional warfare and toward the asymmetric tactics of terrorism and insurgency.
However, Dr. Albert said the biggest shift occurred just recently. "Around 2014, you started seeing much more of what we call strategic cybersecurity or cybersecurity policy popping up in the literature, as well as social media warfare," he explained. "It took time for people to start writing about what that meant for warfare and what it meant for international security."
Even though Dr. Albert didn't start out as a cyber expert, he felt it was his duty to stay current. "Any niche or gap that I see in United States national security, I'm going to delve into the research and make sure that I have an understanding of it because the government needs to understand how to implement it better," he said.
One look at Dr. Albert's academic publishing history proves how committed he is to this principle. Early in his career, his peer-reviewed research focused on ethnic identity and violence in Chechnya and Iraq -- subjects that fall squarely within the confines of political science. In more recent years, he's authored and coauthored works on the military applications of artificial intelligence (AI); the effects of social media propaganda campaigns; and the impact that biological events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have on national security.
Dr. Albert takes a similarly multidisciplinary approach to curating the security studies curriculum at AU. In addition to classes on security policy and other more traditional topics, the MAISS program features classes on technical subjects, including data analysis, social media scraping and information systems security.
What Is Next for Dr. Albert and Security Studies at AU?
In the fall of 2025, AU added a first-of-its-kind PhD in Intelligence, Defense, & Cybersecurity Policy program to its offerings. As graduate director, Dr. Albert is ecstatic to push the security studies curriculum at AU in new directions. "We have four new faculty coming to the PhD and master's program in the fall," he said. "They'll be bringing a wealth of knowledge of computational science, social science, machine learning, data analytics for security studies and things of that nature."
Even with all of that going on, Dr. Albert is embracing more opportunities to deepen and share his expertise. "I have about nine pieces under review at different journals," he said. "Right now, my research with my coauthors is investigating different aspects of AI in global governance and military affairs. We also opened a new line of research in electromagnetic warfare, which is wildly understudied in security studies."
Just as important, Dr. Albert and his colleagues are currently working on a few projects aimed at improving security studies education itself. "One is on how to teach intelligence, analysis and structured analytic techniques asynchronously online so that it mirrors what intel analysts do in real life," he said. "We found some ways to run a National Security Council simulation across the class where students have to act like they're a part of the National Security Council to investigate a situation and give policy papers to the president."
Whether he's in the classroom; conducting research; or sharing his insights with news agencies, government officials and academic conference attendees, one thing is clear about Dr. Craig Albert: his commitment to fostering understanding.
Leverage Your Own Talents to Improve Global Security
Through the MAISS program at AU, students can prepare to tackle the country's latest and greatest threats with expertise and a people-first approach. With three concentrations to choose from -- Technical Intelligence Analysis, Social Influence and General (a customizable track) -- students can learn the technical skills and theoretical knowledge they need to pursue high-level careers across the U.S. intelligence community.
To find out more about AU Online's flexible online format, the school's relationships with important security agencies and the upcoming PhD program, contact the admissions team today.