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
Media contacts
Claire Flin - +33 6 95 41 95 90 - clairefline@gmail.com
29.01.2025
YOUTH & LEADERS SUMMIT 2025 : SCIENCES PO BRINGS TOGETHER THE LEADERS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW
“What future for international cooperation?”
From 29 to 31 January 2025 - 75007 Paris
Press accreditation at media@sciencespo.fr
Paris, 28 January 2025 - Driven by the ambition to understand our times in order to make a difference, Sciences Po has been training the men and women who will face the major challenges of tomorrow since 1872. Launched in 2016 by the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po's School of International Affairs, which is one of the most prestigious in the world and welcomes more than 1,500 students of 110 different nationalities, the Youth and Leaders Summit is an international crossroads for meetings and debates for the leaders of today and tomorrow. For its 10th edition, entitled ‘What future for international cooperation?’, the summit will look at the challenges facing international cooperation and the changes needed over the next 25 years.
Discover the programme here.
For three days, the event's various presentations and round tables will focus on the importance of preserving the foundations of our international cooperation through robust multilateral institutions, effective diplomacy and a commitment to shared values and goals, in a context marked by the erosion of traditional alliances and the emergence of frameworks and behaviours that increasingly prioritise individual nation-states and/or regions.
Numerous leaders and officials from the public and voluntary sectors will be present at this 2025 edition to discuss the future of international cooperation with Sciences Po students, including:
Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, OECD
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International
HRH Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, Chairman of the Board, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom
Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations
Stefano Sannino, former Secretary-General, European External Action Service, European Union
About Sciences Po
Since 1872, Sciences Po's mission has been to shape free minds capable of understanding the world, in order to transform it. It places academic excellence and social inclusion at the heart of its values. Its unique academic objectives are defined by a multidisciplinary approach rooted in the humanities and social sciences, a strong international perspective, and the ability to combine fundamental knowledge with professional expertise thanks to its 280 permanent faculty members and 4,300 adjunct faculty.
A world-class research university with 11 research centers, Sciences Po takes social responsibility seriously, proposing solutions to major contemporary issues including environmental and digital transformations, changes in public policy, and the fight against inequality and discrimination. The defense of academic freedom – an essential condition for democracy and social progress – is also at the heart of our academic project.
Each year, Sciences Po trains 15,000 students, 50% of whom are international, on seven campuses (Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy, Paris, Poitiers, Reims) within the Undergraduate College, and in seven schools at Master's level (international affairs, public affairs, law, journalism, management, research, urban planning). 3,500 professionals also receive continued professional training.
Press contact :
Katell Fagon : media@sciencespo.fr / 01 45 49 50 79
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