Dr. Matthew Peterson is a Research Associate II at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development at Mississippi State University. In his role at the Stennis Institute, he is responsible for providing expertise in the field of public sector Human Resource Management (HRM). Dr. Peterson’s work combines his academic expertise with his public service and applied research capacities to conduct job classification and compensation studies, perform job evaluations, update job descriptions, and review employee handbook policies for municipalities, counties, and state agencies in the State of Mississippi. Prior to joining the Stennis Institute, Dr. Peterson worked as an HR Generalist in the Office of Human Resources Management at MSU. He is also a past recipient of the Garner Fellowship and was previously a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, teaching American Government.

Dr. Peterson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) from Reinhardt University with a concentration in general commerce. He later earned his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Mississippi State University. Following his studies in business, Dr. Peterson completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Policy and Administration also at Mississippi State University. He is a current member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) as well as the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). His research interests include local government, state government, civil service reform, pay for performance, representative bureaucracy, public-private representation and compensation variances, employment-at-will (EAW), Americans with Disabilities (ADA) policy, veterans’ preference, and equal employment opportunity in public service.