Dr. Sarah Staton Named Director, International Activities, Research Security, and Interagency Coordination (IRIC)
Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sarah Staton will be joining the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC) as the Director for International Activities, Research Security, and Interagency Coordination (IRIC); her official start date will be October 6, 2024.
Dr. Staton comes to us from the State Department where she served as the Deputy Director for the Office of Science and Technology Cooperation (STC). In this position, Dr. Staton led a team of over 25 individuals to promote the American science and technology (S&T) enterprise, from basic R&D to the commercialization of innovation, all to ensure American global leadership and economic growth. Furthermore, she served as the senior manager, technical expert, problem solver and recognized spokesperson for the office on a full range of significant science and technology policy issues with the White House, Congress, and external partners. Before her role as the STC Deputy Director, she was the State Department’s Senior Coordinator for the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative which focuses on connecting American businesses with premier international S&T innovators in over 130 countries and had reached over 15,000 innovators worldwide. In her roles at the State Department, she engaged with federal S&T stakeholders, including DOE, to perform stakeholder analysis and gain support for foreign policy goals and activities, including implementation of major U.S. government legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act.
Dr. Staton has worked closely with the Office of Science over the years, most notably in advising DOE on the ITER Council, the multilateral governing body of an international fusion facility. She’s also worked closely with SC directly and through interagency efforts on topics such as AI, Semiconductors, Quantum Information Sciences, and more. Additionally, Dr. Staton has been integral to interagency, research security policy development.
Among her many honors, Dr. Staton has received six Meritorious and three Superior Honor Awards during her time at the State Department, with her most recent award received in 2024 for her work as lead negotiator on the U.S.-Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Science and Technology Agreement.
Dr. Staton graduated with a M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from William Jewell College. She performed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) where she received many honors, including the NRL Edison Patent Award. She is also a former AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow.
Dr. Staton has demonstrated exceptional leadership in international cooperation, fostering partnerships across industry and government as well as in the interagency space. She has vast experience advising senior government officials on foreign affairs and critical initiatives which advance America’s leadership in S&T. Given her tremendous skills, we are thrilled to have her lead the IRIC team, and we hope you will join us in welcoming her to the Office of Science.
Please also join us in thanking Elizabeth (Liz) O’Malley for serving as the Acting Director for IRIC as we worked to fill this position. Liz has done an incredible job leading the IRIC office, and we’re so fortunate to have her on our SC team.
Sincerely,
Harriet Kung
Acting Director, Office of Science
U.S. Department of Energy
Juston Fontaine
Deputy Director for Operations, Office of Science
U.S. Department of Energy
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