Department: Intelligence Analysis

Areas of expertise:

• International Security
• Geopolitics
• Nuclear Weapons and Proliferation
• Emerging Technology
• Data Mining and Modeling
• Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Collection

Baxter teaches courses on international and national security, nuclear weapons and proliferation, data analytics and open-source intelligence.

Baxter’s research focuses on nuclear weapons, geopolitics and risk, data analytics and innovative methodologies in assessing emerging threats, in particular at the nexus of technology and security.

Baxter earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history at Grove City College, a master's degree in public policy at George Mason University and a doctorate in international affairs, science, and technology with a technical minor in nuclear engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

His research has appeared in International Areas Studies Review, Journal of Cybersecurity, Review of Policy Research, Science and Diplomacy, Federation of American Scientists’ Public Interest Reports, Arms Control Wonk, and Real Clear Defense. He is the co-editor and contributor to the Routledge published, Nuclear Modernization in the 21st Century, which examines the extent to which nuclear weapons modernization has become a significant point of concern and consideration in international security.  He is a member of International Studies Association, American Political Science Association, and the International Network for Social Network Analysis, as well as an advisory board member of the Rowman & Littlefield book series on weapons of mass destruction.

Media contact: Eric Gorton, gortonej@jmu.edu, 540-908-1760.