Brian O'Callaghan

Profile

Brian O'Callaghan is a Lead Researcher and Project Manager at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

His core research concerns the economic and environmental impacts of government investment (fiscal policy) and other associated questions of public finance (e.g., sustainable debt, supply chains).

He is interested in the role of green government policy in constrained economic environments (e.g., periods of economic distress) and how this relates to private investment.

Brian launched and is the Lead Researcher for the Smith School’s program on Government Policy and Investment (formally Oxford University Economic Recovery Project). Brian’s team runs the Oxford-UN Global Recovery Observatory and developed the Sustainable Budgeting Approach.

He is climate finance advisor to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, the Robertson Foundation, the Boston Consulting Group, and former Research Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School. He also consults regularly to government and business groups on issues relating to the energy and climate transitions (both mitigation and adaptation).

Brian defended his DPhil in environmental economics from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He holds dual undergraduate degrees in Engineering (First Class Honours and the University Medal) and Commerce (Finance and International Business) from the University of Sydney.