Sam Daws

Sam Daws serves as Senior Practitioner Associate in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford and Senior Advisor to the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. With 35 years of multilateral diplomacy experience, he previously held roles including First Officer to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Deputy Director (UN) in the UK Cabinet Office, and Senior Principal Research Analyst in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

His research spans Multilateral Strategy, AI Governance, and the Science-Diplomacy Interface, with particular focus on diplomatic trust-building in AI governance, international cultural diversity in AI development, and the AI-life sciences nexus. His work analyzes UN, regional, and mini-lateral governance initiatives across APEC, ASEAN, AU, BRICS+, G7, G20, and other frameworks.

Daws has co-edited 14 books including The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations and The Procedure of the UN Security Council. His 15 most recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on UN reform, Security Council dynamics, multilateral negotiation strategies, and evolving global governance frameworks. Key thematic trends include institutional design challenges, geopolitical strategy in multilateral contexts, and policy coordination mechanisms across diverse international bodies.

As an educator, he lectures at the Royal College of Defence Studies, LSE, Oxford, and UNU Tokyo, having trained diplomats from 15 countries worldwide. He directs the policy consultancy 3D Strategy, advises DiploAI on regulatory analysis, and serves as sector consultant to Oxford’s Saïd Business School. His current projects include mapping global AI governance initiatives through multilateral.ai and advising the Simon Institute for Longterm Governance.

Daws holds a degree in social anthropology with African and Asian development studies, a Master's in international conflict analysis, and studied for a DPhil in international relations at Oxford (uncompleted). He maintains affiliations with Chatham House, the University of Oxford China Centre, and the Academic Council on the UN System.