Rate My Professor Steven Zech

Dr. Steven Zech is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University, where he also serves as Deputy Director for the Master of International Relations program and Research Affiliate with the Global Peace and Security Centre. His research interests include international relations, comparative politics, research methodology, political violence and terrorism, militias, contentious politics, civility, network analysis, and Latin American politics. Zech has conducted extensive fieldwork in Peru's Ayacucho, Junín, and Cusco regions (2011–2022), the Philippines, and the United States, examining community self-defense forces and bottom-up security solutions. He earned a PhD in political science from the University of Washington (2016), with dissertation “Between Two Fires: Civilian Resistance during Internal Armed Conflict in Peru,” recipient of the 2017 Terrorism Research Initiative Best Doctoral Dissertation award in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies—the basis for his forthcoming book of the same name. Additional degrees include MAs in political science from the University of Washington and San Diego State University, and a BA in economics from UC San Diego.

Prior to Monash, Zech held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver (2014–2016). He co-led the “Civic Virtue in Public Life: Understanding and Countering Incivility in Liberal Democracies” project (2019–2021), funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. With 46 research outputs, notable publications include “Civility and Environmental Politics” (Political Studies, 2025, co-authored with Bonotti and Faehrmann); “Conceptual Dissonance in Peacebuilding Research: Lessons from a Somali Diaspora” (PS: Political Science & Politics, 2024, with Carver and Tohow); “Conspiracism and Civility” (Political Studies Review, 2024, with Bonotti); “Policy Implementation in Crisis: Lessons from the Philippines” (2023); and contributions to books like “Recovering Civility during COVID-19” (with Bonotti). Zech contributes to public discourse via media on civility and incivility, teaches courses on security, violence, and politics, and participates in the Global Terrorism Research Centre.