Anna Seignovert, Class of 2023

Could you describe your academic and professional background?

I've been lucky enough to have an extremely rich academic career, which has enabled me to develop in different, multicultural environments, reflected in a high level of international mobility in Japan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China and Australia. As a Franco-Russian national who grew up abroad before going to university, I would say that this dynamic was a godsend for me. I started in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in political science at Sciences Po Bordeaux, during which I was able to do an exchange year at Kyushu University in Japan. During that year, I realised that I was fascinated by this region and wanted to decentralise the analysis of international relations, which seemed to me to be too often Euro-centric and not taking sufficient account of the role of local and regional authorities.  

That's why the 'Europe and Asia in Global Affairs' dual master's programme between Sciences Po, the School of Public Affairs and Fudan University quickly proved to be an obvious choice and the ideal programme combining public policy, international relations, Asia and, as the icing on the cake, a specialisation in the environment. However, over the course of my encounters, the diversity of the teaching at Sciences Po and Fudan University, and the internships I did, the importance of specialising in the environmental field became much greater than I thought.

It was really the coincidence of internships and a gap year between M1 and M2 that turned this interest in the challenges of the ecological transition into a professional ambition. The highly flexible format offered by Sciences Po encouraged me to take my time and accumulate some professional experience in regional planning, diplomacy and food.

What were the major stages in the development of your career plan?

During my M1, I joined the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM), where one of my assignments was to analyse the role of last-mile food traders in the agro-ecological transition. This experience taught me a lot about the role of agriculture in the construction of our territories and our cities, which unfortunately over the last few decades have often been defined in opposition to agriculture.

Following on from this, I wanted to work in public institutions to understand how these issues are reflected in public policy. This is how I came to work as a trainee for the French National Assembly's Sustainable Development Committee, during which I was mainly involved in conducting fact-finding missions, including one on the role and future of local shops in regional planning. I then completed my gap year with a placement in the SCAC department of the French Embassy in Sarajevo, where I joined a wonderful team that introduced me to a fascinating country and to the Western Balkans in the broadest sense. It also helped me understand the importance of decentralised cooperation, reiterating the pivotal role played by local and regional authorities.

To all this must be added my personal commitments, in particular to the GAUC (Global Alliance of Universities on Climate), which I have to admit was the final piece of the jigsaw that pushed me in this direction. I think I was drawn into this movement by students from all over the world, each bringing their own expertise, but all wanting to have an impact on climate change. For example, together with four other students, we ran a project aimed at speeding up the closing of nutrient cycles, by recycling organic waste into compost and making it available to small farmers in peri-urban areas.

What do you see as your next challenges?

As a young graduate, I'm full of ideas. At the moment, I'm doing a specialist environmental science degree in Melbourne, where I'm learning more about how to integrate local knowledge, especially indigenous and aboriginal knowledge, into the management of our ecosystems and territories. Then, in January 2024, I'm going to join the Directorate-General for Development, Housing and Nature (DGALN) at the French Ministry for Ecological Transition, where I'll be working on commercial urban planning issues in a context of sober land use and the redevelopment of our regions, whether city centres, peri-urban areas or rural areas.

How did your training at the School of Public Affairs, and more specifically your dual degree with Fudan and the Energy, Environment and Sustainability policy stream, contribute to the position you hold today?  

Given that I'm a novice in the professional world, my answer would be more about what the master's degree gave me. In my opinion, the dual master's programme between Sciences Po and Fudan University is very complementary. On the one hand, at Sciences Po, and particularly through the Energy, Environment and Sustainability stream, I was able to grasp a diversity of themes ranging from the energy transition to agriculture, biodiversity and natural resource management. All in all, it has enabled me to acquire, in addition to a career that up to now had been mainly rooted in political science, the technical skills to better understand the complex mechanisms and interactions of socio-ecological systems. On the other hand, my year at Fudan University, which places a real emphasis on academic research, enabled me to acquire solid methodological knowledge in political science, to question myself and to learn how to formulate questions, particularly in specific environments such as China. So it's a combination that I think is very useful for working in the field of public policy, particularly in the area of ecological transition, which requires a cross-disciplinary approach to knowledge, as well as the co-creation of a dialogue and a common language between all the disciplines.

Would you have any advice for a student or future graduate?

It may sound a bit cliché, but I'd say seize every opportunity that comes your way and be curious! I learnt as much at school as I did outside. It's the whole package. Without the teaching and administration team, my fellow students, my friends, my family and the people I've been able to work with, I probably wouldn't have got halfway there. For that I would like to thank them. I think that Sciences Po offers a unique and conducive environment for everyone to explore their areas of interest and go outside their comfort zone, given the diversity of student profiles at the school. Take the time to look around you and let yourself be carried away, it can hold a lot of wonderful surprises in store for you. I found myself like this in Bosnia-Herzegovina, China (during the Covid period, of course) and Australia. Similarly, I'd set out to become a diplomat, but I've discovered urban planning, agriculture and other subjects linked to the ecological transition... and I love it. Finally, don't be afraid to make mistakes, because on the one hand it's normal and on the other hand that's how we learn. I think we forget that a bit too often when we're students, driven by urgency, social pressure or the insatiable need to have an impact on our societies.

Learn more

• The Energy, Environment and Sustainability stream at the School of Public Affairs
• The dual master's programme Sciences Po-School of Public Affairs and Fudan University