Matthew Lillehaugen

Originally from northwestern Minnesota, Matthew’s curiosity about the broader world was cultivated from an early age through his family’s summer road trips, his father’s National Geographic magazines, and his elementary school’s Spanish immersion program. These interests helped guide his undergraduate studies at Concordia College, where he majored in political science and global studies, with minors in mathematics and physics. Upon graduation, Matthew served as a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow with the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., where his work spanned from electoral politics and urban criminality in India, to regional defense cooperation and ballistic missile defense. At the conclusion of the fellowship, Matthew joined Assess Transform Reach Consulting, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Matthew’s time in Afghanistan contributed to his interest in the intersection of conflict and governance, including questions regarding reintegration and reconciliation at the conclusion of insurgencies and civil wars. He was recently awarded the Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Affairs and spent this past summer working with the Department of Defense. After Princeton, Matthew intends to pursue a career in government service, ideally working on issues related to stabilization, peacebuilding, governance, and development in fragile and conflict-affected settings.