Todd Helmus is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. A nationally recognized expert on disinformation and violent extremism, Helmus specializes in the use of data and evidence-based strategies to understand and counter disinformation and extremism. He has studied the disinformation threat posed by deepfakes, Russian-led propaganda campaigns targeting the United States and Europe, and the use of social media by violent extremist groups. He has also led research on the effectiveness of online interventions to prevent radicalization.
In addition to his research, Helmus is a frequent speaker at security conferences. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security and has served as a deployed analyst to U.S. military commands in Iraq and Afghanistan. His work has been featured in various media outlets including the New York Times, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, Harpers Magazine, Forbes and MSNBC.
Helmus holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
