Dr. Omer Ali Saifudeen is currently Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies Affairs, Rabdan Academy, United Arab Emirates.
He was previously the Head of Military Studies Minor & Senior Lecturer in the Public Safety & Security Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). In this programme, he both developed and taught in the course on Countering Violent Extremism in Southeast Asia, Transnational Crime and Globalisation. In addition to this, he managed and lectured on many other topics in the social and behavioural sciences such as Criminology, Behavioural Economics and Critical Thinking. Omer also researched considerably on the neurobiology of disinformation.
Prior to joining academia full time, Omer served for 25 years in the Singapore civil service in various departments. The government department he served in prior to joining academia was the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS), under the Prime Minister’s Office in Singapore. In NSCS, Omer served as Senior Assistant Director in various units such as Civil Security, the National Security Research Center, Joint Counter-Terrorism Center and the National Security Risk Assessment Group.
His beginnings in the Singapore Government Service were with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore, where he served many years as a Senior Narcotics Enforcement Officer.
Following this, he was part of the pioneering team that set up the Home Team Academy (HTA)- Singapore's Joint Homefront Security Training Academy for agencies under the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs. As Head of the Joint Curriculum Section and later Senior Assistant Director in HTA, he contributed to developing the academy's curriculum, organised and taught in its various homefront security-related courses and programmes.
Omer was also attached as a Research Fellow to the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), prior to joining SUSS.
PhD. in Sociology, National University of Singapore (NUS) - 2012
Pursued under full Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sponsorship. Doctoral thesis on Online Radicalisation.
Master of Science (MSc.) in Criminal Justice, University of Leicester - 2003
Pursued under partial sponsorship by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), MHA. Dissertation Topic: Long Term Sentencing for Hardcore Heroin Addicts.
Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Economics in Management Studies (Honours – 2nd Lower)
University of London - 1996
Latest Publications:
Research Paper on “Rise of the Underground SE Asian Homemade Gun Industry”, published on 12 Oct 2023 in the Asia Pacific Security Magazine.
Research Paper on “The Evolving Gamification of Online Hate” , published in Modern Diplomacy Magazine on 17 April 2023.
BOOK CHAPTERS
2021 ‘Hacking the Hacker’s Psyche’ in Introduction to Cyber Forensic Psychology: Understanding the Mind of the Cyber Deviant Perpetrators.
2020 ‘Hitting Home…’ Lessons from Narrative Studies and Global CVE Initiatives for Creating Effective Counter-Messaging, ACCOP 2019 e-Book
2018 “A Common Framework for Pre-Radicalisation Indicators”- In Learning from Violent Extremist Attacks - Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers. IGI Global.
2016 “‘Getting Out of The Armchair’ – Potential Tipping Points in Online Radicalisation." In Combating Violent Extremism and Radicalisation in the Digital Era. IGI Global.
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
2014 "The Cyber Extremism Orbital Pathways Model." RSIS Working Paper Series. November 7, 2014.
2009 “I have to take charge of this”: Lessons from the Laju Crisis, Home Team Journal, 2009, Issue 1.
SELECT MEDIA ARTICLES, OP. EDS AND COMMENTARIES
Today News – “Commentary: Reporting a radicalised loved one or friend need not be a dilemma” – 18 Aug 2023
Straits Times, “Reading self-help books can create new problems” – 23 Jan 2023
CNA (Channel News Asia) Commentary: “The fight against misinformation isn’t over when parents reject baby’s lifesaving surgery over COVID-19 vaccination”
Interviewed for CNA article - IN FOCUS: Are Singapore’s youth fighting more - or simply filming more acts of violence? – 6 Sept 2022
CNA Commentary: With Singapore-Malaysia travel back in full swing, so are road rage and bad driving – 28 Aug 2022
Interview Comments published in TODAY online - "Woman Up: Manning up to the problems of toxic masculinity in Singapore's society"- 25 July 2022
Interview Comments published in article by Esquire magazine on Male behaviours on the Internet and their implications - 25 July 2022
CNA Article 'What’s Behind Young People's Violent Behaviour' - 1 Feb 2022
CNA Article 'Where are the Vaccine Hesitant Actually Getting their 'research' from?' -15 Nov 2021
Commentary in CNA – ‘Can we live with COVID-19 and stop worrying?’ – 6 Oct 2021
Commentary in CNA – ‘Noisy people in public parks and spaces – spare a thought for others’ – 25 Sep 2021
"Islamic State and Its Online Recruitment Formula." RSIS Commentaries. April 14, 2015.
Joint Publication: “Southeast Asian Militants in Syria and Iraq: What Can the Online Realm Reveal?” RSIS Commentaries. August 31, 2015.
Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies Affairs