Sarah O’Connell

Sarah O’Connell is an MIA candidate at Columbia SIPA, concentrating in International Security Policy and specializing in Technology, Media, and Design. Her research centers on the responsible use of emerging technologies in national security strategies and civilian harm mitigation, with a concurrent focus on restoring trust in public governance. Prior to her studies at Columbia, Sarah served as a speechwriter for the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, negotiating resolutions on information integrity and steering Japan’s involvement in multilateral frameworks, including the Summit for the Future. She also wrote inputs for the US AI Action Plan and NIST Privacy Framework as a cybersecurity policy specialist intern at OpenPolicy. Sarah now interns for the US State Department as a virtual student federal service intern, following recent developments in AI and quantum technologies.