Sejal Goud is an MPA candidate and Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI) Graduate Fellow at Princeton University, where she is pursuing studies in public policy and international relations. As the Program Associate within the Science & Society Program, Sejal works with a special focus on convening roundtables and authoring the Program’s signature publications. She is committed to leveraging her backgrounds in advocacy and journalism to promote the link between civic engagement and science communication, as well as to support underrepresented communities in and through the sciences.

Sejal graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University with a B.A. in public policy and international affairs. Her independent research has spanned Indigenous autonomy in Panamanian sea level rise adaptation, tensions between environmental protection and affordable housing law, as well as multilateral climate mobility, which she presented to the U.S. National Security Council.

She first joined the Aspen Institute as an intern in Summer 2022, after which she stayed on to support the Science & Society team as Communications Coordinator for 2 years. As an undergraduate student at Princeton, Sejal led the Features section of The Daily Princetonian as Head Editor, was an Ethics of Policy Fellow, and was involved with various community organizations, including El Centro English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), Vote100, and the Service Focus Race, Migration, and Belonging cohort. In addition to Aspen, Sejal has spent time at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Authored by Sejal:

Blog Posts

Aspen Institute Science & Society Program Partners with the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) to Promote $1.5 Million MA3 Challenge to Strengthen and Modernize Academic Hiring and Promotion in U.S. Universities

The Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, together with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is proud to partner with the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) and on the launch of the Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement (MA3) Challenge. This initiative invites colleges and universities from across the U.S. to explore and implement improvements to their academic hiring, review, promotion, and tenure processes. 

September 15, 2025

Blog Posts Publications

A Two-Way Street for Art and Science: Toward an Integrated Vision of Meaningful STEAM

This report builds on prior efforts to integrate art and science, offering actionable recommendations to strengthen STEAM initiatives through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative education, and meaningful public engagement

December 17, 2024

Blog Posts

Aspen Institute Science & Society Program Youth Initiative “Our Future Is Science” Named Winner in Global Science Engagement Competition

Science and Society’s youth initiative is named one of 20 Falling Walls Science Engagement Winners worldwide, receiving an opportunity to pitch the unique program at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

August 22, 2024

Blog Posts Publications

Tactics for Trust: A Practitioner’s Playbook for Building Public Trust in Science and Other Domains

This report explores what has worked for science trustbuilders, and what hasn’t. What are the appropriate types of content, topics, language, formats, media, and modes? What approaches make sense when engaging with certain communities, but not with others?

July 31, 2024