Paris, 18 February 2022 - Mathias Vicherat, President of Sciences Po, has appointed Arancha González Laya as Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and Philippe Martin as Dean of the School of Public Affairs. These appointments were made on the basis of proposals by two Search Committees, composed of members from within and outside Sciences Po. The pair will take up their respective positions at the beginning of March.
"These two appointments open a new chapter in Sciences Po’s history. I am delighted to welcome Arancha Gonzalez Laya, whose rich political experience at national, European and international level will take us to a new phase in PSIA’s development. Philippe Martin knows Sciences Po inside out: a distinguished economist within our permanent faculty, he has also chaired the Conseil d'Analyse Économique (CAE) since 2018. He comes to the role with a strategic vision for the School of Public Affairs that combines academic excellence with a bid to tackle new challenges in the training of future leaders."
Arancha Gonzalez Laya, the new Dean of PSIA
Ms Arancha Gonzalez Laya holds a degree in law from the University of Navarra and a Postgraduate Degree in European Law from University Carlos III of Madrid. She has been a member of PSIA’s Strategic Committee since 2017 and has extensive experience of international affairs at multilateral, European and national levels. Most recently, Gonzalez served as Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (2020-2021); Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (2013-2020); Cabinet Director for the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy (2005-2013), and has held several senior positions within the European Commission.
In assuming her duties as Dean, Ms Gonzalez Laya will build on the achievements of Ghassan Salamé, the founding dean of PSIA (established in 2010), and Dean Enrico Letta, whom she succeeds. PSIA’s success is reflected in Sciences Po's current ranking as second in the world for "Politics and International Studies”, according to the QS World University Rankings 2021. The school owes much of its excellence to its faculty, which is composed in equal proportion of academics and professionals renowned within their field of work. As the world's largest school of international affairs, 70% of PSIA’s 1,500 students are international students, coming from over 110 countries. The school offers a choice of seven Master's degree programmes in key fields of international affairs and has established partnerships and dual degrees with leading universities around the world.
Arancha Gonzalez Laya: "After a long career in international affairs, I have decided to devote my passion and energy to preparing the leaders of tomorrow. I am very honored to be joining Sciences Po as the director of PSIA, which ranks second in the world among schools of politics and international studies. By investing in knowledge, skills and experience, PSIA plays a unique role in training international actors to understand and shape our complex world. I would like to thank Mathias Vicherat for putting his trust in me and I look forward to working towards a more sustainable and peaceful world with him, his faculty and the students of Sciences Po.”
Philippe Martin, new Dean of the School of Public Affairs
Philippe Martin holds degrees from Sciences Po, Paris Dauphine University and a PhD in Economics from Georgetown University, Washington DC.
Mr Martin is a Professor of Economics at Sciences Po, the Chairman of the Conseil d'Analyse Économique (CAE), the Vice-President and a Research Fellow in international macroeconomics and trade at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the FNSP. He succeeds Yann Algan as Dean of the School of Public Affairs.
Mr Martin has previously worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2001-2002), a professor at the Paris School of Economics (2000-2008) and at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the director of Sciences Po’s Department of Economics (2008-2013) and as an economic advisor to Emmanuel Macron during his time as Minister of the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs from 2015-2016. He was also co-editor of the journal Economic Policy from 2006 to 2011 and has served as a consultant to the Bank of France. In 2002, Mr Martin was awarded the Prize for the Best Young Economist in France.
Seven years since its founding, the Sciences Po School of Public Affairs has established itself as one of the finest programmes in public affairs on a national and international scale. The school hosts 2,100 students, 30% of whom are international, across its two Master’s programmes and eleven policy streams taught in both French and English, its national and international dual degrees, its preparatory programmes for competitive recruitment exams for the French and European civil service (76% of candidates admitted to the ENA in 2021 came from Sciences Po) and its one-year masters programmes. Today, the School of Public Affairs is working to reinvent its vision of training future decision-makers in the public sector to emphasize European integration and the challenges of digital and environmental changes.
Philippe Martin: "Sciences Po is very dear to me as an institution where I have worked in a number of different capacities, and I am delighted now to be taking over the direction of the School of Public Affairs. Working in collaboration with each of the school’s communities, I want it to continue to exemplify academic excellence and to rise to the challenges of shifts in public affairs both in France and in Europe.”
About Sciences Po
Founded in 1872, Sciences Po is France’s leading research university in the social sciences. Sciences Po is an international research university, both selective and open onto the world, ranking among the finest institutions in the fields of humanities and social sciences.
For more information on Sciences Po: www.sciencespo.fr/en
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24.04.2025
The Role of Universities in Advancing AI G7 Communiqué from the U7+ Alliance of World Universities
Preamble
We, the Presidents of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, representing over 50 universities on five continents, are dedicated to addressing global challenges. We are committed to working with the G7 leaders to develop AI to benefit societies worldwide.
Our Alliance includes leading universities in G7 nations and in 12 global south countries. We value collaboration across diverse perspectives and cultures. As universities, we are at the intersection of generations, where knowledge is generated, and new, bolder visions for the future are imagined.
Universities’ leading role in Advancing AIUniversities are key contributors to the successful digital transformation of all sectors of the economy and in the wider society. Universities are the main actors in preparing a highly skilled workforce, and in driving innovative solutions based on research. In the face of the rapid advancement of AI-driven technology, universities, as independent actors guided by research, education, and service to our communities, can support governments to navigate this radical change and increasingly uncertain political context. Universities have large, multidisciplinary, networks of experts who can provide valuable insights for policymakers in all aspects of AI: the technology itself, its socio-economic embedding and impact, as well its governance. Maintaining collaborations between university AI leaders, government and industry stakeholders is crucial to making the best use of AI technologies, while minimizing some of their anticipated risks, including finding new ways to ensure AI technologies are more energy efficient.
Many key figures in the development of AI come from U7+ universities, and we host many of the hubs where the algorithms and tools underpinning commercial GenAI products were originally developed. Given this expertise, we can work effectively with G7 governments and other stakeholders to develop a more inclusive ecosystem to train and nurture the next generation of AI leaders.
As it becomes increasingly pervasive, AI will bring improvements including opportunities to address global challenges rapidly and effectively, in the areas such as climate change, health, energy transitions, the integrity of democratic institutions, and the future of work. To leverage these opportunities, we would like to ensure a broad ecosystem of innovative AI companies that span the globe. Universities, and the startups they often engender, are essential elements in such a vibrant innovation ecosystem. Governments have a key role to play in supporting universities through investments in AI development, deployment, and implementation.AI’s impact on the nature of work and the labour market is unprecedented. Governments are faced with a seismic shift in employment patterns and skill requirements across all sectors due to the integration of AI into the workplace. This will continue to raise challenges for governments to ensure there are fair opportunities for all, as well as a high quality of life and well-being. Our institutions’ extensive educational expertise and existing infrastructure can help governments create successful AI transition strategies across all sectors, and support workforce preparedness, through upskilling/reskilling programs both in the public and private sector.
The successful deployment of AI hinges on whether people trust it to deliver its benefits safely and securely. This underscores the need to develop a balanced approach to AI governance, encouraging innovation while also ensuring safety and security. The International AI Safety Report (2025) establishes an internationally shared scientific understanding of risks from advanced AI and methods for managing them. The spread of misinformation, including the creation of deep fakes, will continue to adversely affect societies, particularly at election times, increasing misinformation and enabling disruption in political conversations. Additionally, the misuse of AI technologies such as Large Language Models without adequate understanding of their functionalities, for decision-making in critical fields like justice, healthcare, or public welfare, can create public mistrust in authorities and in policymakers. Our institutions can play a crucial role in advising on clear guidelines to manage the risks of AI technologies, balancing innovation, and regulations to ensure the safety and security of their use.
As an alliance of universities from both the Global North and South, we are committed to addressing the rapidly increasing global AI divide. AI has the extraordinary potential to support local needs, in alignment with diverse values, cultures, languages and jurisdictions. There are currently disparities in the concentration of skilled talent, which also contributes to the global AI R&D divide. To bridge this gap, we prioritize strengthening and supporting North-South academic collaborations, developing training programs for capacity building, and enabling student exchange programs in AI. This will ensure that we build a healthy AI ecosystem where innovation and novel technologies can emerge to serve local and global markets. By virtue of their national and international core mission of education and research with carefully managed conflicts of interest, our universities have successful working collaborations with both public and private sectors, including the AI technology giants. This makes us vital connectors that can help build equitable and more robust AI ecosystems for the benefit of nations.
Commitments by U7+ Alliance members:
U7+ members commit to continuing to update and upgrade training pathways for all our students, not only those engaged in AI development, to sensitize them to new opportunities for the application of AI technologies as well as to risks posed by AI in general. Together we commit to sharing best practices and courses with one another so that we can build on our strengths as a global network.
U7+ brings together Global South and Global North members; we commit to working across the Alliance to ensure that we are creating opportunities for all universities in our networks to deepen their knowledge of and access to AI training and technologies, so that innovations can be developed to benefit all nations.
U7+ members commit to playing a role as trusted brokers for governments at all levels, bringing our research and training expertise to develop programs for governments to deepen their understanding of AI and its opportunities. By developing tailored programs, universities can train civil servants on opportunities to innovate and increase efficiency of government processes. Furthermore, working with governments, universities can contribute to mitigating risks to democratic processes and to individual/community rights and well-being by advising on appropriate policy and legal frameworks.
U7+ will continue to play a critical role in the responsible advancement of AI, by fostering innovation and creating opportunities to develop technologies that contribute to individual and population health, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic prosperity, while also monitoring their adoption and implementation to ensure meaningful and equitable impact.
Recommendations to G7 and other governments:
Work with U7+ to create an interdisciplinary network of U7+ scholars and policy makers working together on AI governance. We envision this consortium as a trusted advisory body leveraging the knowledge of leading universities from across the globe to achieve two interconnected roles: first, it would support policymakers and government agencies to implement the AI transition. Second, it would address AI safety and security and would work closely with the emerging network of public-sector/hybrid AI Safety institutes.
Support the creation of an AI research and governance interface tool: Develop a trusted portal to share credible and rigorous resources for AI research and governance to support the decision-making of policy makers. This portal will address the current fragmentation of initiatives by providing a single point of access and verification for public authorities. Working with governments on key resources they are seeking, the portal will increase transparency, build trust, and ensure that decision-makers have access to the latest research-based knowledge on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI.
As governments, create funding support to inclusive innovation through strengthened North–South collaboration on AI training, knowledge transfer, shared platforms, and the development of novel technologies.
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