Biography of David J. Rusin

David J. Rusin is a research associate with Islamist Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum which exposes and combats nonviolent radical Islam in the West. He also serves as the Philadelphia-based editor for Pajamas Media, a leading online source of news and commentary that places special emphasis on underreported stories about the Middle East and Islam.

Rusin's research interests at Islamist Watch include the defense of free speech, the challenges confronting multicultural societies, and the media's coverage of the Islamist threat. His recent articles have investigated the physical dangers faced by ex-Muslims, efforts to create a segregated Islamic enclave in Philadelphia, and governmental self-censorship vis-à-vis radical Islam. In addition, he is the primary contributor to the Islamist Watch blog, which provides up-to-date analysis of nonviolent Islamism.

Rusin joined the Middle East Forum following a decade and a half in physics. He earned a B.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology (1996) and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (2001), specializing in astrophysics and cosmology. Rusin then held postdoctoral research positions at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (2001-2003), University of Pennsylvania (2003-2006), and University of California at Davis (2006-2007). During his scientific career he published more than thirty articles in peer-reviewed journals.