Stephen Coulthart

Stephen Coulthart (PhD) is an Associate Professor and director of the Open Source Intelligence Lab in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany.  He joined the faculty at the University at Albany in 2020. Previously, he was a faculty member at the University of Texas at El Paso (2015-2020) in the National Security Studies Institute, an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence. 

Dr. Coulthart’s teaching and scholarship is at the intersection of intelligence studies and information science. In his work he seeks to understand how national and homeland security organizations improve data analysis to support more informed decision-making. He has examined this topic through the evaluation of structured analytic techniques, human capital development, technology implementation, and more recently, by examining the rise of open source intelligence (OSINT).

His research has been published in high impact factor journals like International Affairs, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Public Administration Review. He is the lead editor of Researching National Security Intelligence: Multidisciplinary Approaches (Georgetown University Press). An academic research associate with the Norwegian Intelligence School and a former Truman National Security Project fellow, Dr. Coulthart has also delivered lectures and training at the CIA, the U.S. State Department and the El Paso Intelligence Center, among others.

Research Interests

Intelligence Analysis, Technology and Innovation Policy, National Security and Homeland Security Education

Google Scholar Profile

Courses Taught

• FSP 100: Spies, Lies, and the Secret World of Espionage
• EHC 343: Homeland Security
• EMH 462/562: Foundations of Online Investigations
• EMH 432/532: Information Analysis Techniques and Technologies
• EMH 461/561: Homeland Security Risk