Meghan L. O’Sullivan is the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project, and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School.

Dr. O’Sullivan’s scholarship continues to be at the nexus of traditional disciplines, examining topics at the intersection of geopolitics, science, markets, and policy. Her work on large changes in the energy system has shaped how policymakers and academics alike view these issues. Her publications in this area include her award-winning 2017 book Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America’s Power.

O’Sullivan has served in multiple senior policymaking roles and has advised national security officials in both Republican and Democratic administrations. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her public service, including the U.S. Defense Department’s highest honor for civilians (the Distinguished Public Service Medal) and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (which she has received three times).

O’Sullivan is a member of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Between 2004 and 2007, she was special assistant to President George W. Bush and was Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan during the last two years of her tenure. In 2013, O’Sullivan was the Vice Chair of the All Party Talks in Northern Ireland. 

O’Sullivan also has extensive experience advising the private sector on geopolitical risk and in board leadership and advisory roles in non-profit organizations. She is a Senior Director at the strategic consulting firm Macro Advisory Partners, and is the Chair of the North American Group of the Trilateral Commission.

O’Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a masters of science in economics and doctorate in politics from Oxford University. She was a Henry Crown Fellow from 2015 to 2017 and a Henry Luce Fellow in Indonesia from 1991 to 1992.