Program Leadership & Staff

Director and Senior Fellow
The Middle East Program is directed by Dr. Jon B. Alterman, who came to CSIS from the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Alterman has a distinguished record of academic research, has written for leading publications such as the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times, and is a frequent guest on CNN, BBC, and other international news outlets. He has been with the Middle East Program Since 2005. His research focuses on North Africa, the Arab-Israeli conflict and political Islam.

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow
Haim Malka is deputy director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at CSIS.  His principal areas of research include violent nonstate actors, the Arab-Israeli conflict, North Africa, and political Islam.

Research Assistant
Michael Dziuban graduated from Yale University in 2008, where he majored in political science. Prior to joining the Middle East Program at CSIS in July 2009, Michael spent a year studying Arabic at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, on a full fellowship from the Center for Arabic Study Abroad.

Program Coordinator and Research Associate
Dan Holodnik graduated from Duke University in 2010, where he earned his master's degree in Islamic Studies.  At Duke, his research was focused on contemporary Islamist and Salafi movements and the intersections of religion and media.  He earned his B.A. in religious studies from Cornell University in 2008, and he joined the CSIS Middle East Program in July 2011.