University of Georgia alumna Sophia “Sophy” Macartney (AB ’22) was named a spring 2023 Scoville Fellow. The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship was established in 1987 to recruit and train the next generation of policy and advocacy leaders on international peace and security issues.
Sophy graduated from UGA in December 2022 with degrees in International Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and Sociology from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, she earned a Certificate in Global Studies and a Minor in Portuguese.
Scoville Fellows contribute to their host institutions through research, writing, and multimedia advocacy activities. Sophy has chosen to spend her fellowship with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, working on developing an export controls and sanctions program. She will also be planning and chairing an export controls congressional briefing to be held in the summer.
“My attraction to public service stems from my desire to take initiative in problem-solving to help others,” said Macartney. “Being a Scoville fellow is allowing me to pursue my dreams of peacebuilding through policy approaches of nuclear energy development that emphasize the importance of second-order effects, sustainability of international agreements, and emerging technology.”
While finishing her degree this fall, Sophy worked as a Student Co-Op in the Acquisition Management Division of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In this role, she completed an immersive apprenticeship training for Contract Specialists and gained direct experience working through the contract lifecycle. She was selected to aid in the escorting and execution of the NRC-organized Nuclear Threat Reduction Conference that hosted a delegation of Brazilian nuclear agencies. Not only did the event provide a connection to her Brazilian background and Portuguese language training, it also provided Sophy a front row seat to policy discussions around sustainability, peaceful nuclear energy advocacy, and relationship building through nuclear energy development.
In 2021, Macartney was selected as a fellow in SPIA’s Center for International Trade & Security’s Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Program. This year-long program for students pursuing careers in national and international security provided Sophy professional training in policy writing and analysis of security issues related to nuclear non-proliferation, energy security, and human security. Through the program, she developed an original independent research project titled “Naming and Shaming: How does regime type affect terrorist organization designation?,” which analyzed lists of designated terrorist organizations from the US, Russia, and the UK. She presented her findings at the 2022 SPIA Undergraduate Research Colloquium.
On campus, Sophy was a Scholar in the Portuguese Flagship Program, as well as a member of the Redcoat Marching Band. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Zell B. Miller Scholarship Recipient.
“I’m incredibly proud of Sophy for her accomplishments,” said Maryann Gallagher, Director of the Security Leadership Program and Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Affairs. “Sophy distinguished herself as a member of the SLP. I am thrilled that she has been named a Spring 2023 Scoville Peace Fellow and look forward to the many successes that await her in the future.”
