Dr. Yannick Veilleux-Lepage is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, a position he assumed in January 2023. His research focuses on the intersection of technology, far-right extremism, and the evolution of terrorist tactics. His research employs a variety of innovative methodologies including natural language processing, digital ethnography and dataset creation in research.
Before his current appointment, Dr. Veilleux-Lepage served as an Assistant Professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University until 2022. He also worked as an intelligence analyst for the Government of Canada, specializing in international terrorism and emerging threats. He also held a Senior Researcher and Project Manager position at the Georgia State University's Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative, where he played a pivotal role in Department of Defense-funded projects, analyzing the media products and online discourse of extremist groups.
His doctorate in International Relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland examined the processes by which new techniques of political violence appear, transform, and disseminate. This research culminated in the publication of his book "How Terror Evolves: The Emergence and Spread of Terrorist Techniques" in 2020.
Currently, Dr. Veilleux-Lepage is working on a forthcoming book titled "Uniformed Threats: A Comparative Analysis of Countering Right-Wing Extremism in NATO Armed Forces," set to be published in the Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right series. This book dissects the presence or absence of safeguards against radicalization and extremism within the armed forces across six NATO countries. Furthermore, it identifies significant gaps in the legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks addressing radicalization and right-wing extremism within these national armed forces, draws lessons from these approaches, and assesses their potential applicability to other countries.
Dr. Veilleux-Lepage maintains affiliations with numerous research institutions. He holds the title of Associate Fellow with both the Higher Education Academy and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, where he also serves on the Editorial Board. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Dr. Veilleux-Lepage is a member of the Editorial Board for Perspectives on Terrorism, contributes to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s Red Team Working Group on Assessing Threats and Safety by Design, is an active member of the Network for Research on Hateful Conduct and Right-Wing Extremism in the CAF, and is a fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy.
Throughout his career, Dr. Veilleux-Lepage has consistently contributed expert analysis to a variety of media institutions. His insights have been featured on platforms such as BBC, CNN, and The Guardian. Most recently, he has contributed insights into the emerging threats of 3D printed firearms, the utilization of commercial drones by terrorist groups, and the escalating activities of right-wing extremist groups both within Canada and internationally.
Dr. Veilleux-Lepage holds a master's degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ontario, Canada, and a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Security Studies, also from Carleton University.
An extensive list of Dr. Veilleux-Lepage's publications can be accessed on his Google Scholar profile.