Dr. Brian O Callaghan

Biography

Brian O'Callaghan is a Lead Researcher and Project Manager at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford. His core research focuses on the economic and environmental impacts of government investment, particularly through fiscal policy and public finance, addressing issues like sustainable debt and supply chains. He has pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in green public finance and is interested in the role of green government policy in constrained economic environments, particularly during economic distress and its relation to private investment. Brian launched the Smith School’s program on Government Policy Investment, formally known as the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project. He leads the Oxford-UN Global Recovery Observatory, which has developed the Sustainable Budgeting Approach. Additionally, Brian serves as a Senior Advisor on Climate Finance to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Sustainable Debt Coalition, often consulting with governments and businesses on green finance and technology. He also advises philanthropic partners in the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. Brian previously held the position of Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. He holds a DPhil in environmental economics from the University of Oxford and studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Additionally, he has dual undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Commerce from the University of Sydney, where he graduated with First Class Honours and received the University Medal.

Research Interests