Meriem
Rebbani
Assistant Professor
Education
- Ph.D. in Criminology, 2024, University of Montreal, Focus on Canadian Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiatives
- Master of Arts (MA) in Social Anthropology, 2014, Concordia University (Montreal), Specialization in mass violence
- Bachelor of Arts Honours (BA) in Social Anthropology, 2012, Concordia University (Montreal), Specialization in Middle Eastern Religions
Professional Certifications and Training:
- VERA 2R (Violent Extremism Risk Assessment Version 2 Revised)
- TRAP-18 (Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol)
- HCR-20 (Historical Clinical Risk Management-20)
- START (Structured Threat Assessment)
- IMV (Ideologically Motived Violence)
Bio
Meriem Rebbani is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College. She is also a researcher with the Van Vollenhoven Institute (VVI) at Leiden University, where she previously served as a lecturer for two years. Since 2015, Professor Rebbani has been actively engaged in the fields of Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (PVE/CVE), Counter-Terrorism, and Terrorism Prevention, bringing extensive experience from both academia and international organizations.
She has worked as a CVE and Counter-Terrorism specialist for the United Nations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). In these roles, she was responsible for conceptualizing and developing a national multi-agency PVE/CVE project focused on handling returning foreign fighters. Over the years, she has conducted multiple risk assessments for police forces and is trained in several assessment tools, including VERA 2R, TRAP-18, HCR-20, START, and IMV. Professor Rebbani regularly trains police officers, government officials, and civil society organizations on issues related to risk assessments and PVE/CVE prevention. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was awarded the 2020 Emerging Thought Leader award by Women in International Security (WIIS-Canada).
She holds a BA and an MA in social anthropology from Concordia University, specializing in mass violence. She recently completed her Ph.D. in criminology at the University of Montréal, focusing on Canadian CVE initiatives.
JJC Affiliations
Courses Taught
CJBA 250 Crime Prevention and Control
CRJ 798 - Homeland Security and Terrorism
CRJ 789 – Violence Across the Globe
CRJ 7001 – The Science and Practice of Public Safety
CRJ 768 - Law and Society
Professional Memberships
Member, Women In International Security–USA (WIIS-USA)
Member, European International Studies Association (EISA)
Member, Law and Society Association (LSA)
Languages
Scholarly Work
- Rebbani, M. (2026). Counter-Extremism and High Policing in Canada: Improvising Security. Routeledge. https://www.routledge.com/Counter-Extremism-and-High-Policing-in-Canada-Improvising-Security/Rebbani/p/book/9781003686040
- Aris, K., Rebbani, M., & Freilich, J. (2026). Primary Interventions for Preventing Cognitive and Behavioral Radicalization: An Evidence and Gap Map. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 22(2), https://journals-sagepub-com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1177/18911803261438704
- Rebbani, M. (forthcoming). Studying Up in Security Fields: Doing Qualitative Research in Closed and High-Security Research Environments. Palgrave Macmillan.
Honors and Awards
- CUNY Book Completion Award, City University of New York, 2025
- Exceptional Dissertation Distinction, Université de Montréal, 2024
- Emerging Thought Leader Award, Women In International Security (WIIS), 2020
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Concordia University, 2013–2014
Research Summary
Professor Rebbani’s research examines how security and violence-prevention systems are built, institutionalized, and governed across state, international, school, and community settings. Situated at the intersection of criminology, critical security studies, socio-legal studies, and International Relations, her work asks how institutions define risk, coordinate intervention, and manage threats before violence occurs.
Her book, Counter-Extremism and High Policing in Canada: Improvising Security (Routledge, 2026), offers an ethnographic account of Canada’s counter-extremism policy field and the expansion of prevention-oriented security practices across policing, social services, and community institutions.
Her forthcoming Palgrave Macmillan book, Studying Up in Security Fields: Doing Qualitative Research in Closed and High-Security Research Environments, develops a methodological framework for conducting qualitative research in politically sensitive, secretive, and institutionally closed settings. It advances the concept of “polymorphous fieldwork” as a reflexive approach to studying power, secrecy, access, and ethics in security fields.
Her current research also extends this agenda to targeted violence prevention and school safety, examining how Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management teams can be strengthened through focused deterrence, legal compliance, structured accountability, and sustained support.