Matthew Simonson

Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Scholars Program (fall 2026)
Senior Lecturer (Tenure Track), Department of Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Headshot of Matthew Simonson.
1727 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Matthew Simonson is a political scientist whose research focuses on political violence, ethnic conflict, intergroup relations, and the role of social networks in shaping collective behavior. Using surveys, experiments, interviews, fieldwork, and network analysis, his work examines how social ties influence cooperation, assistance, and conflict in divided societies. He is Senior Lecturer (tenure track) in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he directs the Peace and Conflict Lab and is a Fellow of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace. He received his PhD in Network Science (Social Science Track) from Northeastern University in 2021.

Research Interests: Ethnic conflict; network analysis; genocide; peacebuilding; civil wars; Balkans; Israeli-Palestinian conflict; protests; and public opinion.