I am an Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. I am also a Council on Foreign Relations Term Fellow, a Research Fellow at the Research on International Policy Implementation Lab and a Senior Associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Africa Program.
In 2021, I graduated from Yale University with a PhD in Political Science. 2015, I graduated with an MA in International Relations, with a focus on African Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS. My research is at the intersection of security, gender, and governance, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. My work has been published in International Security, Security Studies, Stability, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and African Studies Review. My first book, Women and the War on Boko Haram was published in 2017. My second book, In Love and at War: Marriage in Non-state Armed Groups, was published by Cambridge Elements in 2024.
In my spare time, I love running, hiking, riding my bike, and hanging out with my two dogs.
You can follow me on Twitter @HilaryMatfess.