Clay Varney is a second year M.A. candidate in international security at the University of Denver - Graduate School of International Studies. At DU his studies have focused on terrorism and security issues in the Middle East. Clay currently resides in Washington, DC where he is an intern with the Center for Security Policy. Previously, he was a research assistant with The Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies.

Clay graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2006 where he received a B.A. in political science with a minor in Islamic studies. While at Vanderbilt, he participated in The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Undergraduate Fellowship on Terrorism. Clay also received a National Security Education Program scholarship to study at The American University in Cairo, from where he traveled extensively in Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey.

A native of Pittsburgh, Clay's research and writing for ThreatsWatch will focus on security developments in Africa, South Asia, and the wider war on terrorism.