Nelly Lahoud is a senior fellow in New America's International Security program. Dr. Lahoud’s research has focused on the evolution and ideology of al-Qa'ida (AQ) and the ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS/ISIL). She has also published on women's role in AQ and ISIS and the use of anashid (a capella) by these two groups in their media output. She has a Ph.D. from the Research School of Social Sciences — Australian National University. She was a postdoctoral scholar at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge — UK; Rockefeller Fellow in Islamic studies at the Library of Congress; and research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University.