Matthew Isakowitz ’09

Matt — brilliant, passionate, and beloved — died May 25, 2017.

Raised in Oak Hill, Va., Matt came to Princeton from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. At Princeton, he was a member of Mathey College and ate at Charter Club.

Remembered as one of 2009’s most exceptional students, Matt was granted early acceptance to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He was the recipient of the James Hayes-Edgar Palmer Prize in Engineering, the John Marshall II Memorial Prize, and the Sau-Hai Lam *58 Prize in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Upon leaving Princeton, Matt followed his passion for commercial spaceflight, working at Astranis, Planetary Resources, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Space Adventures, SpaceX, and the XPRIZE Foundation. He earned a master’s degree in international science and technology policy from George Washington University.

Matt was a warm, compassionate, and generous friend, who loved life to the fullest, was always there to help a fellow student, and whose enthusiasm for commercial space exploration inspired everyone who knew him.

Matthew will be deeply missed by his parents, Steve and Monica; his siblings, Jennifer, Rachel, and Sophie; and so many loved ones, classmates, and friends.

A fellowship program was created in memory of Matthew, designed to provide mentorship and inspiration to rising seniors, recent grads, and graduate students who embody Matthew’s passion for exploring our universe to help humankind, and opening the space frontier as enabled by innovators and entrepreneurs. To learn more about Matthew’s passion for space exploration, visit www.matthewisakowitzfellowship.org.