Cole Donovan

International Relations Specialist
Policy, Advocacy, and International Division
NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Cole Donovan serves as an International Affairs Specialist covering the Asia Pacific region in the Office of Space Commerce.  He previously served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as Assistant Director for International Science and Technology and Assistant Director for Research Security and Infrastructure.

Prior to OSTP, Cole worked for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the State Department, where he covered major research infrastructures, research security and competition policy, and U.S. scientific and technical involvement with the EU, Africa, Southeast Asia, ITER, and CERN.  He served as co-chair on the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittees on Research Security, Research and Development Infrastructure, and International Science and Technology Coordination.  He has led the drafting and negotiation of numerous NSTC documents, multilateral statements, and science and technology agreements.

Cole holds degrees from St. John’s College and the University of Maryland.  He worked on amateur communications satellites as a mentorship student in the U.S. Naval Academy’s satellite ground station.