Sarah Cooney

Sarah Cooney is a science engagement specialist working at the intersection of harm reduction, science communication, and regulatory affairs. Through her consultancy, she works with organisations to shape and communicate reduced-risk approaches – specialising in the nicotine, tobacco, and chemical industries. Sarah spent a decade at British American Tobacco, where she managed science engagement and played a key role in advancing and defining the company’s reduced risk product strategy. She reshaped BAT’s publishing strategy, its visitor programme, and was responsible for award-winning reports that demystified complex research for diverse audiences. Her experience in making technical science accessible and relevant extends from boardrooms to consumers: bridging the gap between scientists, regulators, and the media. She also brings a wealth of editorial experience from major publishers Nature and Elsevier. She started her working life as a plant geneticist and she has been published in leading journals including Science and Genetics.