Dr. Zech has worked as a researcher on collaborative projects related to nonviolent political change, global transnational terrorism, ethnic conflict, and militant violence. He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver between 2014 and 2016. In that position he conducted research for projects on "nonviolent action in violent settings." His dissertation and current book project, “Between Two Fires: Civilian Resistance during Internal Armed Conflict,” examines the origins and evolution of civilian self-defense forces in Peru and elsewhere. He carried out extensive fieldwork in the Ayacucho and Junín regions of Peru between 2011 and 2022. Dr. Zech has published numerous academic journal articles on terrorism and political violence, counterinsurgency, torture, civility, and network analysis. His most recent work investigates "bottom-up" policy solutions to security challenges in the Philippines, Peru, the United States, and elsewhere.