Alexander Siedschlag, Ph.D.
Alexander Siedschlag is professor of homeland security at the Penn State School of Public Affairs and program chair of the Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Graduate Certificate. He holds a master’s and doctoral degree in political science, sociology and psychology from the University of Munich and a venia legendi (“habilitation”) for political science from Humboldt University Berlin.
A former NATO research fellow, Dr. Siedschlag started his career as a strategic analyst and then worked in the field of theories and methods of international politics as well as of the European Security and Defense Policy. Dr. Siedschlag has a long standing strong record in academic teaching in international relations and security, and in extramural lecturing, including at the former European Security and Defense Assembly, the National Defense Academy Vienna, and NATO School.
Prior to joining Penn State, Dr. Siedschlag was a professor for security research and chair of the Center for European Security Studies (CEUSS) at Sigmund Freud University Vienna (Austria/EU). In his scholarly work, Dr. Siedschlag has recently concentrated on strategic cultures and security cultures; scenario foresight; methods of civil security research; disaster management, including the use of social media; as well as on civil-military relations in crisis management. He has so far authored six mono-graphs, over one hundred articles, and edited twelve anthologies.
Beyond his current focus on doctoral teaching and advising in Sigmund Freud University's premium track in security research, Dr. Siedschlag served as the coordinator of the EU co-funded security research project FOCUS (2011–13) on foresight security scenarios to plan for research in support of "European Union 2035" security roles, and their technological, social, and other requirements. He was also a member of the working group "education and research" within the Austrian federal ICT security strategy.
Azamat Sakiev, Ph.D.
Azamat Sakiev received his doctoral and master's degrees from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He also holds a master's degree in international and European studies from Central European University. He completed undergraduate studies at the American University of Central Asia. Prior to joining Penn State Harrisburg, Azamat held faculty positions at the University of Wyoming and University of North Georgia (a senior military college).
Paul B. Thompson, Esq.
J.D., University of Baltimore; LL.M., Georgetown University, Instructor of Political Science and Homeland Security
Paul B. Thompson recently retired as professor of national security studies and law at the National War College. While there, he also served as a fellow at The Bush School at Texas A & M University. Thompson served for many years in national government, in positions such as U.S. National Security Council staff assistant to the President, senior legal adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations, and senior legal and legislative adviser to the Secretary of Defense.
Additional faculty
Part-time faculty are appointed on a semester-by-semester basis. Many of these faculty are experts from the homeland security enterprise who work in the mission space, providing students with a rich breadth of instruction that enhances the overall learning experience.