Biography
Matt Dearing is a Research Associate with the Center on Contemporary Conflict at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is also a National Security Institute Fellow and a PhD student in the security studies program at the Naval Postgraduate School. His dissertation focuses on village stabilization programs in counter-insurgency environments. His master’s thesis was focused on the absence of female martyrs in Afghanistan and was conferred the 2009 Liskin Award for Excellence in Regional Security Studies.

His recent publications include: “Like Red Tulips at Springtime: Understanding the Absence of Female Martyrs in Afghanistan,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 33:12 (2010): 1079-1103; “Understanding Female Suicide Terrorism in Sri Lanka through a Constructivist Lens” Strategic Insights, Vol. 9, Issue 1 (Spring 2010); “Female Suicide Bombers—The New Threat in Afghanistan,” Small Wars Journal, July 2010.

Mr. Dearing served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a rifleman and Marine Security Guard. He earned a B.A. in International Political Economy from the University of California Berkeley and a M.A. with distinction in Regional Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a member of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs, the United Nations Association, the Marine Corps Association, the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, and the NPS Foundation. His research interests include security studies, comparative politics, suicide terrorism, paramilitary groups, governance and sovereignty.

Recent Publications:

• “Like Red Tulips at Springtime: Understanding the Absence of Female Martyrs in Afghanistan,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (forthcoming, Dec. 2010) 
• “Understanding Female Suicide Terrorism in Sri Lanka through a Constructivist Lens,” Strategic Insights 9, No. 1 (Spring 2010)