Alex P. Schmid awarded for his exceptional contribution to terrorism studies

The Hague, December 18 – The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) honoured Prof. Em. Dr. Alex P. Schmid with the ICCT Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognises Dr. Schmid’s exceptional contribution to the study of terrorism, and was presented during ICCT’s Annual Conference on December 4, in The Hague. 

In presenting the award, ICCT Director Thomas Renard paid tribute to a figure he described as “a scholar, a mentor, and a true pillar of our community,” emphasising that Dr. Schmid’s impact on the field is “both profound and enduring”. 

Dr. Schmid’s academic career has included positions at prestigious institutions such as Leiden University (1977-1999) and the University of St Andrews (2006-2009), including as Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV). Beyond academia, he served at the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), between 1999-2005, bridging scholarship and policy at crucial moments in the post-9/11 era.

 A long-standing friend of ICCT, Dr. Schmid first joined the Centre in 2012 as a Research Fellow and has served as a Distinguished Fellow since 2021. Renard noted, “His intellectual contributions, his energy, and his generosity have enriched ICCT from its earliest years.” Dr. Schmid has authored or co-authored hundreds of publications, many regarded as seminal works. This includes The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research (2011) and The Handbook of Terrorism Prevention and Preparedness (2021). His ICCT paper Radicalisation, De-Radicalisation, Counter-Radicalisation: A Conceptual Discussion and Literature Review (2013) remains one of ICCT’s most downloaded publications to date, continuing to shape understanding and practice worldwide. Beyond his own writing, Dr. Schmid has had a transformative effect on the field through mentorship and institution-building. He has supervised and guided many PhD candidates—several now prominent scholars—and contributed to the development of leading journals. 

As co-editor of Terrorism and Political Violence (2006-2009) and founder of Perspectives on Terrorism in 2007, he contributed to building and sharing high-quality research in terrorism studies. Since 2023, Perspectives on Terrorism has been published by ICCT, in partnership with Leiden University and CSTPV, and will mark its twentieth year in 2026. Renard concluded: “When we take all of this together—the scholarship, the mentorship, the policy impact, the community-building—it is no exaggeration to say that few individuals have done more to advance terrorism studies over the past several decades than Alex Schmid. His influence is woven into the very fabric of our field.”