Sarah Burd-Sharps

Sarah Burd-Sharps is a social scientist and policy leader specializing in the development of rigorous metrics that translate complex data into actionable insights. As Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety, she co-authored multiple peer-reviewed studies on the dynamics of gun violence and evidence-based prevention strategies—work cited in a U.S. Supreme Court dissent and featured in invited testimony before Congress.

Previously, she co-founded Measure of America at the Social Science Research Council, where she led the creation of the American Human Development Index and a suite of reports and data tools that have shaped national conversations on well-being and access to opportunity. This includes two volumes of The Measure of America (Columbia University Press, 2008 and NYU Press, 2010), data2go.nyc, and pioneering work on youth disconnection. Earlier, at the United Nations Development Program, Sarah contributed to the flagship annual Human Development Reports, helped advance their widely-recognized rankings, and presented findings at press events worldwide. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.