Policy & Advocacy

Guest post by Giovanna Collu Are you interested in applying for the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (S&TPF)? Applications are now open and to help you prepare we have compiled some tips we learned from current and former fellows Cara Weismann, Maryam Zaringhalam, and Avital Percher. To learn more about the fellowship experience, read…

This post is part of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee’s series on science policy fellowships. Research!America sponsors a 3–6-month science policy fellowship for those with a PhD or other terminal degree. The Research!America alliance is made up of over 400 science organizations: from research institutions like Johns Hopkins to scientific societies like GSA to…

This post is part of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee’s series on science policy fellowships. The Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program of the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) places ten PhD-level scientists in the California legislature for one-year appointments. Fellows work hands-on with policymakers addressing complex scientific and technical issues as…

Guest post by members of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee Emily Lescak, Giovanna Collu, and Lacy Barton Recent high-profile cases of sexual misconduct in science have revealed a pervasive undercurrent of harassment in the STEM workplace. How should scientists, institutions, and funding agencies respond? Given the importance of this issue, we wanted to provide…

This post is part of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee’s series on science policy fellowships. Research!America sponsors a 3– 6-month science policy fellowship for recent PhD graduates. The Research!America alliance is made up of over 400 science organizations: from research institutions like Johns Hopkins to scientific societies like GSA to drug development companies like Merck.…

This post is part of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee’s series on science policy fellowships. The Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship Program is an opportunity for recent graduate students to spend a year working at a state or federal agency in Alaska on projects at the intersection of marine science and policy. Fellows are…

The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program has provided fellows with a 12-week immersive science policy experience for 20 years. Based within the National Academies in Washington DC, Mirzayan alumni are now found throughout the science policy realm in the United States and abroad. We spoke to Ben Krinsky, PhD, a 2015…

This post is part of the Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee’s series on science policy fellowships. You can also search for fellowship opportunities in the GSA Policy Fellowship Database. AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) give scientists and engineers the opportunity to apply their knowledge and analytical skills to the policymaking process. These US-based fellowships…

Model organism researchers face shared challenges in communicating the value of their work. How do you get policymakers to fund research on a microscopic organism they’ve never heard of? How do you explain to the public why scientists spend time understanding yeast and frogs and flies? In 2015, the ciliate research community decided to invest…

For early career geneticists who would like to transition to a policy career, the Genetics and Public Policy Fellowship provides a 16-month training experience designed to bridge the gap. This unique fellowship includes three rotations: time spent at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the executive branch, a staff position on Capitol Hill serving…

Policy should be informed by scientific data. It’s critical that scientists are directly involved in ensuring policy decisions both reflect scientific knowledge and support innovation. For scientists interested in shaping public policy, there are many career options, including working for elected officials, government agencies, and nonprofits who advise on policy. However, PhD and postdoc training…