Day earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University and holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His teaching and research interests are in Comparative Politics, with a particular emphasis on African politics, political violence, and civil wars. He has published articles in Comparative Politics and Civil Wars, and has written opinion pieces for Al-Jazeera, The Daily Beast, and the Post & Courier. His current book project examines the various fates of different rebel groups in Africa.