Dr. Matthew Olsen

Biography

Matthew G. Olsen is a Lecturer at Harvard Law School, specializing in National Security Law. He has extensive experience in public service, having served as the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, where he led efforts to defend against nation-state adversaries, espionage, terrorism, and other national security threats. Prior to this role, he directed the National Counterterrorism Center, overseeing the government’s counterterrorism strategies. Olsen has also worked as General Counsel for the National Security Agency and held various leadership positions within the Department of Justice. His career began in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division as a trial attorney. In the private sector, Olsen has served as the Chief Trust Security Officer for Uber Technologies and co-founded a cybersecurity consulting firm. He has taught law at several distinguished institutions, including the University of Virginia School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center. Olsen graduated from Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia, and he began his legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Norma Holloway Johnson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Research Interests

Courses