Brent R. Klein

Brent R. Klein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina's McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on generating refined explanations of violence and empirical evidence for public policy, employing an interdisciplinary approach blending sociological criminology, developmental theory, situational crime prevention, and decision-making frameworks.

• Ph.D., 2020, Michigan State University, Criminal Justice
• M.S., 2015, University of Arkansas, Sociology
• B.S., 2013, University of Arkansas, Sociology & Criminal Justice

Dr. Klein's work addresses urgent societal issues including school violence, firearms-related violence, mass shootings, domestic terrorism, and bias-motivated crimes. His methodological expertise centers on quantitative and mixed methods, particularly longitudinal studies and open-source data analysis. Key projects include the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-funded pathways to school shootings study, American School Shooting Study (TASSS), and Comparative Gun Violence Project (CGVP).

Dr. Klein's peer-reviewed publications in journals like JAMA Pediatrics, Justice Quarterly, and Crime & Delinquency reveal trends in adolescent firearm violence, gender dynamics in mass shootings, and systemic drivers of bias-motivated crimes. His research is supported by $2.53 million in current grants from the NIJ and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, focusing on extreme risk protection orders, mass violence interdiction, and school violence root causes.

• Fellow of Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Doctoral Summit
• Fellow of National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)

Dr. Klein maintains affiliations with leading research consortia including the U.S. Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), American Terrorism Study (ATS), and Rockefeller Institute's Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (RGVRC). He previously served as a research consultant to the Michigan State Police and the inaugural student board member for ASC's Division on Terrorism & Bias Crimes.