Nanninga graduated in History and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen in 2007, after which he carried out his PhD research at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the same university. He obtained his PhD in June 2014 for his thesis Jihadism and Suicide Attacks: al-Qaeda, al-Sahab and the Meanings of Martyrdom. Since 2011, he is attached to the department of Middle Eastern Studies, where he teaches on Islam and politics in the modern Middle East and conducts research jihadism, and especially on jihadists’ use of violence and media.