Katherine Zimmerman is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the lead analyst on al Qaeda for AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Her work is focused on the al Qaeda network, particularly al Qaeda’s affiliates in the Gulf of Aden region, and other associated groups in western and northern Africa. She specializes in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based al Qaeda faction, and in al Shabaab, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia.

Zimmerman has testified before Congress about the national security threats emanating from al Qaeda and its network and has briefed members of Congress, their staff, and members of the defense community. She has been published in outlets such as CNN.com, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Zimmerman graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science and mod

Homeland Security & Terrorism,