Olivier has been a Senior Academic Assistant at the College of Europe since August 2018. During his doctoral studies at the University of St Andrews, he was an Academic Tutor for two undergraduate courses:Introduction to International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis and International Security. Olivier has also conducted internships in Brussels (with The United States Mission to NATO and Transparency International) and in Paris (with the Jacques Delors Institute and the Institute of International and Strategic Relations). For a while, he was also a scuba instructor.
Olivier defended his PhD thesis entitled "Explaining Military, Law Enforcement and Intelligence Cooperation between Western States" in March 2018. His external examiner was Didier Bigo, Professor at King’s College London and Sciences Po. From 2015 to 2016, Olivier was a Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University. In 2013-2014, the University of St Andrews awarded him a 600th Anniversary Ph.D. Scholarship in the Arts & Humanities. Prior to this, Olivier obtained a MSc in Social Research Methods from the University of Sussex, an MA in Interdisciplinary European Studies from the College of Europe (Darwin Promotion), an MLitt in International Political Theory from the University of St Andrews, and a BA in International Relations, French and Journalism from Lehigh University. In 2005, he spent a semester studying the politics of the Middle East at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
At Lehigh, Olivier wrote his Honor Thesis on “Economic Development and Cultural Diversity: The Case of the OIF”, in French, with Professors Henri Barkey and Marie-Hélène Chabut as supervisors. From 2004 to 2008, he served as a Residential Assistant (Gryphon), Head Residential Assistant, and as a member of the University Committee On Discipline. Olivier was also a prominent member of the Brown & White, the College Democrats and the French Club, and dabbled as a DJ for WLVR 91.3 FM.
Olivier is currently working on his first book, Security Cooperation between Western States, to be published with Routledge in 2020. He is also looking into non-state counterterrorism, the FARC, and private military & security companies (PMSCs). He is interested in all things related to small states.