Michael has been invited to speak on maritime security and governance to academic, military, and political audiences in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Belgium, Georgia, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States of America, with many drawing audiences from neighboring countries. If you’re interested in having Michael as a speaker, moderator, or consultant, get in touch.
TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
- Netherlands Defense Academy. 2025. Breda, Netherlands. Invited to present on the crime-conflict nexus in the Black Sea as seen through the lens of maritime informatics.
- Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre. 2025. Lisbon, Portugal. Invited to present on the application of maritime informatics to maritime security in the Black Sea.
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology. 2024. Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited to speak on the relationship between protracted conflict and illicit trade in Abkhazia for the Globalization, Illicit Trade, Sustainability and Security workshop organized by the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.
- The Royal United Services Institute. 2024. Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited to participate as a Black Sea regional expert in a workshop on Russia’s South Caucasus policy.
- U.S. Department of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research. 2024. Washington, D.C., USA. Invited to speak on Moscow’s influence campaigns in Georgia as an expert on the Black Sea security dynamics panel.
- Eastern Partnership Program. 2023. Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited to speak on illicit maritime activities in the Black Sea as guest lecturer for New School.
- Centre for Russian, Caucasian and Central European Studies. 2022. Paris, France. Invited to speak on maritime security threats in the Black Sea for the Black Sea Seminar.
- Middle East Institute. 2022. Washington, D.C., USA. Invited to speak on strategic challenges and opportunities for the United States in the Black Sea region for the Frontier Initiative.
- Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2021. Virtual Session. Organized Maritime Security in the Black Sea conference and presented on non-traditional Black Sea security threats.
- Scholarly Research and Inquiry at Emory Conference. 2016. Atlanta, USA. Presented funded research project on mapping military memorialization in nascent democratic societies.
ACADEMIC TEACHING AND ENGAGEMENT
- Tilburg Law School. 2023 to 2025. Tilburg, Netherlands. Designed and taught modules for the Criminology and Criminal Justice program within the Global Law Bachelor’s degree. The modules focused on maritime crime and were supported by lectures and teaching videos on international maritime regulatory frameworks. Maritime crime topics covered include overfishing, piracy and armed robbery, smuggling of commodities, irregular migration, and environmental degradation. Throughout, an emphasis was placed on integrating pedagogical techniques that reinforce active learning and long-term knowledge retention.
- Northlight Heritage. 2017. Glasgow, UK. Taught local youth groups and community members advanced data acquisition techniques used in fieldwork, including LiDAR, ground penetrating radar, and global positioning systems. Emphasized Socratic dialogue to facilitate critical thinking.
- University of Wisconsin. 2016. Madison, USA. Designed and taught a humanities course for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Pre–College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence. Focused strongly on interactive learning methods to improve participation and attendance.