Patricia L. Sullivan is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Policy and the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies.

Dr. Sullivan’s research explores the utility of military force as a policy instrument; the effects of foreign military aid and assistance provided to both state and nonstate actors; and factors that affect leaders’ decisions to initiate, escalate, or terminate foreign military operations. Her research has been funded by the Carnegie Corporation, the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, and the Office of Naval Research. Her book, Who Wins? Predicting Strategic Success and Failure in Armed Conflict, was published by Oxford University Press in 2012.

Kyle Beardsley is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Duke University, Deputy Director of the Triangle Institute of Security Studies, and co-director of the International Crisis Behavior data project.

His research focuses on the quantitative study of international conflict and peace processes. He is particularly interested in questions related to the role of third parties in shaping conflict dynamics, the links between armed conflict and gender power imbalances, the diffusion of armed conflict across space, and the impact of nuclear weapons on international crisis behavior.