“I look forward to the challenge of improving the rigor and quality of Canadian terrorism research through the CIDB.”

The Project Lead for the Canadian Incident Database (CIDB) is James Ellis. A Fulbright scholar, he holds a Master’s of Letters degree in International Security Studies focused on Terrorism from the University of St Andrews. Mr. Ellis has worked in the terrorism field for 15 years, and helped manage a 35-project, $84-million dollar research program covering information technology, scientific, and social scientific projects while at the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) for eight years.

At MIPT, Ellis oversaw an innovative program called the Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB). The TKB was a one-stop resource for comprehensive research and analysis on global terrorist incidents, terrorist organizations, and terrorism-related trials. TKB covered the history, affiliations, locations, and tactics of terrorist groups operating across the world, with 40 years of terrorism incident data (over 35,000 incidents) and more than a thousand group and leader profiles. The TKB was the most advanced, web-based tool of its kind, offering highly interactive maps and sophisticated analytical tools. The TKB had over 2.3 million visitors from 25 countries and was cited by over 200 media outlets. The TKB provides a useful map for future development and expansion of the Canadian Incident Database.

Mr. Ellis lead the development and successful delivery of the TSAS Summer Academy. He has performed TSAS terrorism research on Right-Wing Extremism in Canada through a TSAS grant to Simon Fraser University. He also previously completed a grant on “Countering Radicalization of Diaspora Communities in Canada” from Metropolis BC. Mr. Ellis has served on advisory boards for the National Counterterrorism Center, the Terrorism and Disaster Center, and the Perspectives on Terrorism journal. He has written for numerous journals and periodicals, contributed to four books on terrorism, and edited a brief volume from leading terrorism scholars. Mr. Ellis looks forward to the challenge of improving the rigor and quality of Canadian terrorism research through the CIDB.