Professional Bio

Josh Toy is a first-year PhD student in international relations. Before coming to State College, he received his BA in Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Criminology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and received his MA in Security Studies from Kansas State University.

His research interests relate to terrorism and political violence. Specifically, how ethnically-exclusive regimes and power sharing affect groups' needs to conduct insurgencies. He studies regime type and how leaders’ survival strategies affect groups' incentives for rebellion. He also examines leaders' roles in political violence and how the rhetoric they use influences violence.