Dr. Daniel P. Relihan is the Deputy Director of Research at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. At PERIL, he leads a research team that develops and tests prevention-focused approaches that strengthen individual and community resilience against harmful narratives and extremist content. Using a public health framework, his work examines how “psychological inoculation” can help people recognize manipulation tactics before exposure to harmful content.
Dr. Relihan oversees research evaluating the effectiveness of PERIL’s resource guides, workshops, and training programs for parents, educators, and community leaders. His broader research investigates how social identity, moral perspectives, and media environments shape responses to societal challenges, including how political polarization affects physical health outcomes and how ethno-religious prejudice develops during international conflicts. This work informs the development of evidence-based approaches to building resilience against extremism and polarization.
His research has appeared in academic journals including Scientific Reports and Political Psychology and has been recognized with the Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences Award from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Relihan is committed to translating rigorous research into practical approaches that foster community well-being in an increasingly complex information environment.
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