Fellowships

Jefferson Science Fellowship Program

On October 8, 2003, the Secretary of State announced the Jefferson Science Fellowship  as an innovative model for engaging the American academic science, technology, engineering, and medical communities in U.S. foreign policy and international development. The fellowship program brings tenured professors to work at the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for one year, and the fellows may remain available as consultants to their host offices or bureaus after returning to their academic institutions. Since 2003, more than 180 fellows have served at either the U.S. Department of State or USAID. This program is facilitated by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships Program

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowship   provides opportunities for scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking while contributing their knowledge and analytical skills in the federal policy realm. The aim is to foster scientifically informed, evidence-based policy and practice by engaging scientists and engineers from a broad range of disciplines, backgrounds, and career stages to directly contribute their knowledge and analytical skills to the federal government.

The inaugural 1973 class included just seven fellows serving in congressional offices. The program grew to over 280 fellows in 2020 and over 2,500 alumni who have worked at over 20 executive branch agencies and departments and many congressional offices and committees.

Professional Science & Engineering Society Fellowship Programs

The Professional Science & Engineering (S&E) Society Fellows Program enlists professional scientists and engineers with an interest in policy and international affairs to advance the diplomacy and development policies of the United States. Established in 2001 by STAS to support the goal of strengthening S&T expertise in the U.S. Department of state, fellows contribute their respective subject matter expertise to the policymaking process by working directly in an office at the Department.

Fellows are members of the sponsoring societies, which currently include the American Institute of Physics (AIP),   the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),  and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) . Salaries and benefits are paid by the societies for the year that fellows serve at the Department.