I am an International Security Program Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. I received my Ph.D. in International Development from the University of Edinburgh in 2024. 

My work lies at the intersection of comparative politics and international relations, focusing on conflict and security, with a regional interest in Africa. My research examines two critical dimensions of contemporary security challenges: civilian-combatant relations in conflict zones, and the adoption of emerging technologies by non-state armed actors.

My first research stream investigates how armed groups and civilians alike adapt to structural constraints and develop strategies for survival during armed conflict. Based on extensive field research in Nigeria with former Boko Haram members and associates, my book project, Civilians Behind Front Lines, explains differences in armed group governance and civilian cooperation patterns in insurgent-controlled territories. Related work examines people's navigation of internal armed group dynamics and the methodological and ethical challenges of researching armed groups.

My latest research investigates risks from terrorist groups leveraging emerging technologies. I examine AI misuse risks by documenting how non-state armed actors engage with and adopt AI capabilities, including their adoption pathways and current use cases. I also assess the bioterrorism risks these groups pose through interdisciplinary collaborations, with implications for AI governance and biosecurity policy.

My research has received the 2025 Kenneth Boulding Award from the Peace Studies Section of the International Studies Association, the 2024 Hayward R. Alker Award by the American Political Science Association's Interpretivist Methodologies and Methods Related Group, and financial support from the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the University of Edinburgh, Harvard University, the Thomas and Ulla Kolbeck Foundation, and Open Philanthropy.

I hold an M.Sc. in African Studies from the University of Edinburgh, an M.Sc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a B.A. in Social Sciences from Humboldt University Berlin. I have worked for and consulted the United Nations, the German Corporation for International Development (GIZ), and non-governmental organizations in Germany, India, Nigeria, Thailand, and the United States.

To get in touch, please email me at: an.juelich@gmail.com.