AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships

Fellowship Program Areas

AAAS offers fellowships in seven programmatic areas. Click on the programs shown for a brief description. You can also click on the placement opportunities for more detail on the types of assignments available. Specific host offices and assignments vary from year to year.

• Congressional
• Diplomacy, Security& Development
• Energy, Environment & Agriculture
• Health, Education & Human Services
• Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship
• AAAS Overseas Fellowships at USAID Missions (limited eligibility)
• Global Health & Development Fellowships (limited eligibility)

Congressional (2 placements sponsored by AAAS*)

AAAS Congressional Science & Engineering Fellows® spend a year on Capitol Hill helping to research, develop and draft legislation and provide input to policy review and oversight.

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Offices of Members of Congress
• Congressional Committees

*AAAS sponsors two congressional placements. Additional congressional placements are available through approximately 30 scientific society partners. Individuals are encouraged to apply to a AAAS sponsored Fellowship as well as to any partner societies for which they qualify. AAAS administers the placement process for all Congressional Science and Engineering Fellows® and Fellows are not to solicit potential placements before the end of their orientation (varies, but typically the third week of September each year).

Diplomacy, Security & Development Program (30-40 Placements)

Infuse scientific and technical expertise into policy development and program planning, implementation and evaluation in the areas of:

• Foreign policy and international trade, treaty engagement, and multilateral cooperation
  
• Disaster preparedness and response
  
• Infrastructure, environmental, cyber and health security, terrorism and warfare prevention, and nonproliferation
  
• International aid, capacity building, and development assistance

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Agency for International Development
  
• Department of Defense
  
• Department of Homeland Security
  
• Department of State
  
• Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health
  
• Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department of Agriculture

Energy, Environment, Agriculture Program (30-40 Placements)

Engage in projects, policies, risk assessment, evaluation, and outreach initiatives to:

• Protect animal, plant and environmental health
  
• Address ecosystem degradation, pollution, and biological threats
  
• Tackle challenges and opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, climate change, and energy
  
• Safeguard air, water, land, wildlife, and natural resources

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Agriculture
  
• Department of Energy
  
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  
• National Science Foundation
• U.S. Geological Survey
  

Health, Education, & Human Services Program (30-40 Placements)

Support improved programs, policies, planning, risk analysis, regulation, monitoring and evaluation for a broad range of initiatives in:

• Preventive and community health, disease identification and response, and medical research
  
• Individual, family and community social services, systems and support
  
• Food, processing and distribution safety
  
• Science education, research, and innovation

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Department of Health and Human Services
  
• Department of Veterans Affairs
  
• National Institutes of Health
  
• National Science Foundation
  
• Food Safety Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture

Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship (Not available in 2013-14)

The Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship was established in 1997 in recognition of Roger R.D. Revelle, who was an internationally renowned statesman of science. His interests were broad, and he excelled across numerous fields of study.

The Revelle Fellow will engage with professionals in the public policy arena to strengthen his or her understanding of the intricacies of environmental policymaking and make practical contributions to the more effective use of scientific and technical knowledge in federal decision-making. The Revelle Fellowship is designed to provide a unique opportunity for an accomplished scientist to address global stewardship issues by applying his or her broad, multidisciplinary background toward solutions to important societal problems, including:

• ecosystems
• population
• sustainable development
• global climate change

Anticipated placement opportunities:

• Any federal agency
• Congressional office or committee
• Any environmental or sustainability oriented non-profit organization in Washington, DC

Note: This fellowship is open only to applicants with three years of post-doctoral degree professional experience (or six years of post-degree professional experience for applicants with an MS in engineering).

Click here for a complete list of the former Revelle Fellows, as well as their education, fellowship placement, and current position.

AAAS Overseas Fellowships at USAID Missions (Eligibility limited to current/alumni AAAS Fellows only)

Re-launched in 2011, the AAAS Overseas Fellowships offer Fellows the experience of living and working overseas at a U.S. Embassy or US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission , as well as the opportunity to expand both the service and professional development opportunities of the S&T Policy Fellowship experience. AAAS supports Fellows to pursue international assignments via the Overseas Fellowships. AAAS Overseas Fellowships are currently available only at USAID Missions. Overseas Fellowships offer one- to two-year international assignments.

The Fellow's primary responsibility will be to help the Mission identify key opportunities to develop strategies and programs that contribute to development in science and technology (S&T) and areas where S&T can be harnessed to advance development in the host country and/or region.

This fellowship opportunity is limited to current and alumni AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Fellows may have served in any program area. Additional criteria and the evaluation and placement processes are outlined in the AAAS Overseas Fellowship Guidelines. You can also find more information in the AAAS Overseas Fellowships FAQs.

You can learn more about how Fellows contribute to USAID Missions in this short video.

Anticipated placement opportunities will vary from year to year. For more information, please contact Chitra Kalyandurg, program manager. The deadline is February 8, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Global Health & Development Fellowships (Eligibility limited to current/alumni AAAS Fellows only)

The AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships have partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create the Global Health & Development (GHD) Fellowships. This new fellowship opportunity places Fellows at the Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, for one year, with the potential to renew for a second year.

The GHD Fellowships provide opportunities for Fellows to learn from and contribute to the international development initiatives of the Foundation, by helping to identify and support strategies and programs in which science and technology can be harnessed to advance development in designated countries and/or regions.

This fellowship opportunity is open to current and alumni AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Fellows may have served in any program area. Please refer to the AAAS Global Health & Development Fellowship Guidelines for additional information on eligibility criteria, the application process, and the program in general.

If you have questions please contact Sage Russell, associate director.