He received his bachelor's (Summa Cum Laude) and master’s degrees in 2000 and 2002 from Utah State University, and his PhD in Political Science in 2007 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research examines civil wars, terrorism, and other forms of political violence. Mike is the recipient of various fellowships and awards including: a Peace Scholar Fellowship at the United States Institute of Peace, the University of Illinois Scott Dissertation Fellowship, the Rita and Leonard Ogren Award, the Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security Graduate Fellowship, and the Charles Merriam Fellowship at the University of Illinois. He has published articles in the Journal of Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Civil Wars, and Complexity on the topics of third-party military interventions into civil wars as well as the resolution of civil wars.