[1] Born and raised in Marks, Mississippi, Lipson attended Yale as an undergraduate, where he studied Political Science and Economics.
[2][3] While studying at Harvard, Lipson won the Chase Prize for the best essay on a subject relating to the promotion of world peace.
Lipson is the co-founder and director of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security (PIPES), a weekly workshop for graduate students to discuss research issues in international politics.
[9][10][11] In 2013, Lipson frequently appeared as a guest on Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont, a nationally syndicated radio show that provides listeners with weekly political discussions.
[2] In 2011,[13] Lipson received the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the University of Chicago.