William Braniff is the Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, where he leads cutting-edge research and programming to counter violent extremism, targeted violence, and the drivers of polarization in American society.
Braniff most recently served as the Director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In that role, he was responsible for advancing the federal government’s efforts to prevent acts of targeted violence and terrorism through community-based partnerships and evidence-informed public health approaches. Under his leadership, CP3 expanded its engagement with civil society, improved coordination across government, and implemented innovative violence prevention strategies across the country.
Prior to his federal leadership at DHS, Braniff served as the Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and as a Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland, where he led major federally funded research initiatives and helped train a new generation of counterterrorism scholars and practitioners.
Earlier in his career, Braniff was the Director of Practitioner Education at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) and an instructor in the Department of Social Sciences. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as a Company Commander in the U.S. Army. He later earned a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and served as a foreign affairs specialist for the National Nuclear Security Agency.
Braniff is widely recognized for his expertise in both domestic and international terrorism, counterterrorism, and prevention. He has lectured extensively for audiences including the FBI, Joint Special Operations University, National Defense University, Defense Intelligence Agency, Diplomatic Security Service, Foreign Service Institute, and Homeland Security Investigations, among others.
He has provided expert testimony before Congress on five occasions and was a featured speaker at both the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism (2015) and the United We Stand Summit (2022). His insights have also been sought by the Department of Justice, Department of State, National Security Council, and the National Counterterrorism Center.
Braniff has held advisory roles with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), the RESOLVE Network, the Hedayah Center, the Prosecution Project, and the GIFCT Independent Advisory Committee (IAC). He is also a founding board member of We the Veterans, a nonpartisan nonprofit of veterans and military families working to protect American democracy from violent extremism and disinformation.
