Erik E. Mueller is a social science researcher focused on security and defense issues. He has over eight years of professional research experience at outfits like the RAND Corporation and the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats. He is also a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. His research centers on violent nonstate actors, states, armed conflict, political violence, North Africa, and West Asia.
From January 2019 through November 2025, Mueller worked as a Defense Analyst at RAND. At RAND, he contributed to projects on topics relating to conflict and political violence including violent nonstate actor financing and adaptability; proxy wars; private military companies; escalation; and mass attacks. He also worked on studies on topics such as public health labs, processes of military change, and interoperability.
From July 2017 through December 2018, Mueller worked as a Research Analyst at the Chicago Project on Security and Threats on the Program on Political Violence (PPV). With PPV, he conducted research, drafted narratives, and coded data on state-armed group relationships in South Asia.
Mueller holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, a Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College.