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Sally Williams

School: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Department: Agriculture, Food, and Environment

Research Interests: Water Science & Systems, Food Systems, Climate Change, Business and Economics

TIE Affiliation

Environmental Research Fellowship

TIE-SEI Internship

Research

The USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity (WAVE) is a five-year project whose purpose is to strengthen water cooperation across Central Asia for improved stability, economic prosperity, and healthy ecosystems. SEI’s role is to conduct analysis and build capacity for integrated water-energy-food (WEF) planning in five beneficiary countries: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. SEI is working with National Steering Committees, a specially established Technical Advisory Committee, a Regional Steering Committee, and other stakeholders and partners to set planning goals, formulate policy and analytical questions, and explore socio-economic scenarios. These activities will contribute to a cross-scale understanding of robust decisions that can be taken to increase water, food, and energy security in the region. As a key part of the work, we are developing WEAP models for the Syr Darya basin and an accompanying regional (four-country) LEAP model that will be integrated for WEF analyses. The TIE-SEI intern supports quantitative efforts in the WEF nexus modeling, joins at least one of two workshops, develops materials that are policy relevant, and prepares blogs/web-stories for social media.

Experience

Sally is a Masters candidate at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in the Division of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. She expects to complete her studies in May 2022. Sally has a B.S. in Psychology & Sociology. Prior to beginning her M.S. at the Tufts Friedman School, Sally was an Associate with AlphaSights, a knowledge services firm, where she worked with strategy consulting clients on technology, media, and telecommunications projects. Since beginning her graduate degree, Sally has completed a Strategy & Operations internship with OLIO, a FoodTech company based in London dedicated to tackling the issue of food waste. She currently works with Gander, a European start-up that offers grocery retailers an automated mobile platform to sell reduced food before it goes to waste. Her work focuses on expansion strategy research and partnerships. At Tufts, Sally regularly attends many of the speaker series events hosted by the Friedman School, as well as participates in a number of student organizations, such as the Friedman Nourish Cafe for student entrepreneurs.

Current Studies and Future Goals

When asked what she found most meaningful about her field of study, Sally responded with the following: “By far the most meaningful component of my field of study is the confidence I have that I am gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to help make a positive impact on our world. My mission is to aid in the preservation and protection of our planet, and I believe the academic path I am on now is in alignment with this mission."

When asked what interested her in becoming a TIE-SEI Intern, Sally responded with the following: “The TIE-SEI Internship for 2021-2022 offers me the opportunity to merge my career interests with my passion for international work. I grew up in Moscow, Russia in the early post-USSR era and have thus always had a fascination and passion for the Eurasian region. The TIE-SEI USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity internship will allow me to focus my work on a region I feel extremely connected to while I also gain mentorship and training in the quantitative skills I want to build for my future career."

After Tufts, Sally plans on building a career focused on positive environmental development, specifically sustainable food systems. Her dream is to one day run a company or consulting service focused on issues of environmental development and conservation.

Fun Facts!

When not doing school work, Sally can be found preparing for her next athletic challenge, like her first ultramarathon completion in Fall 2021.

Favorite place you've visited: Iceland

Dream Job: Head of Strategy at an early-stage FoodTech start-up or the Founder of an environmental strategy consulting firm