Mahmut Cengiz

Dr. Mahmut Cengiz is an Associate Professor and Research Faculty member at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center (TraCCC) and the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University (GMU). He has extensive international field experience, having provided capacity-building and training assistance to partners across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Dr. Cengiz has also contributed to research projects for the Brookings Institution, the European Union, and various U.S. agencies. Dr. Cengiz is a prolific author, with six books to his name, along with numerous articles and book chapters on topics such as terrorism, organized crime, smuggling, terrorist financing, and trafficking. His 2024 book, Murder By Mail: A Global History of the Letter Bomb, explores the individuals and groups who have used letter and package bombs to kill and maim their victims. Since 2018, Dr. Cengiz has been leading the development of the Global Terrorist Trends and Analysis Center (GTTAC) and currently serves as Academic Director and Co-Principal Investigator for the GMU component. He is also a Fellow at Small Wars Journal El Centro, a columnist, and a member of the editorial board of Homeland Security Today. Dr. Cengiz teaches courses on Terrorism, American Security Policy, and Narco-Terrorism at George Mason University.