Originally from Northern Virginia, Lindsey Cliff is a second-year student in the MAERES program. She graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University in 2025 with a B.A. in International Relations and Political Economy and a minor in Russian. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a semester abroad in Prague, Czechia, where she studied Central and Eastern European politics and developed a broader interest in the region. While at Tulane, she interned with the Khodorkovsky Foundation, where she conducted research on Russian political and civil society developments and prepared news briefings and stakeholder profiles. Last fall, she joined the American Foreign Policy Council as a research intern and remains affiliated with the organization as a Junior Fellow, contributing analysis on Russian politics and regional developments. Most recently, Lindsey served as a Policy Fellow at the U.S. Helsinki Commission, where she supported research, hearings, briefings, and other Congressional initiatives related to European security and Russia. At Georgetown, her academic interests have focused on Russia’s wartime political economy, regional inequality, and the relationship between state power and economic institutions.
