Matt Cancian, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Wargaming Department

Biography

Matt Cancian is a Marine veteran and MIT Ph.D. who studies military operations as an associate professor at the Naval War College. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2022, where he concentrated in Security Studies and Comparative Politics. His thesis was about the motivations of combatants and the effects of training, based on a survey of 2,301 Kurdish fighters (Peshmerga) during their war against the Islamic State. His unclassified research currently focuses on wargaming U.S.-China conflicts.

Contact Information

(401) 856-6174

Matthew.Cancian@usnwc.edu

http://matthewcancian.com

Areas of Expertise

Civil-Military Relations
Taiwan
Wargaming

Professional Highlights

2024

Associate Professor

Hired as an Associate Professor in the War Gaming Department at the U.S. Naval War College.

2022

Senior Researcher

As a contractor, led students in classified wargaming as part of the Halsey Bravo group at the Naval War College.

2016

Ph.D. Candidate, MIT

Earned a Ph.D. in Political Science, concentrating in Security Studies and Comparative Politics. My thesis was about the motivations of combatants and the effects of training, based on a survey of 2,301 Kurdish fighters (Peshmerga) during their war against the Islamic State.

2014

Student

Studied conflict resolution and security studies for a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts.

2009

Captain

Served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, deploying to Sangin, Afghanistan as a Forward Observer in 2011 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

2005

Undergraduate

Studied history and earned a B.A. at the University of Virginia.

Education

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.A.L.D., The Fletcher School

B.A., University of Virginia

C.V. or Resume

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