He has a PhD in Sociology from Queen's University, where he studied at the Surveillance Studies Centre. His research is focused on the surveillance of social movements with a focus on environmental and indigenous movements; knowledge construction practices associated with contemporary policing of ‘radicalization’; and domestic security governance in the context of the ‘war on terror'. His recent book, Security Aid (University of Toronto Press, 2017), examines the securitization of humanitarian aid. He lives in Ottawa, Canada.