New York State officials and their staffs face immense public policy challenges that involve complex socio-technical and scientific problems. Too often there is a lack of capacity both on the part of policymakers and techno-scientific experts to do the critical work of translating between the language of policy and the language of a particular techno-scientific discipline, let alone synthesizing their meanings in order to improve policy outcomes.
The New York State Science Policy Fellowship transitions PhDs in science, technology, and engineering into high-level public sector roles in New York State’s executive and legislative branches, with the goal of bringing subject matter expertise to New York State leaders and providing those with techno-scientific expertise hands-on experience in policymaking. It supports this goal by providing early career science, technology, and engineering scholars training on how policy is developed and implemented at the state level, and educational programming on the challenges related to the intersection of governance and techno-scientific expertise more broadly.
To learn more about state-level science and technology policy fellowships, see this overview from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Institute is now accepting applications for the 2025-27 New York State Science Policy Fellowship. The second cohort of Science Policy Fellows will work in full-time placements with senior policymakers in the offices of the governor, state agencies and authorities, or the legislature on science and technology related policy for a period of two years. All placements are located in Albany, New York, and begin in August 2025. Selected fellows will be paid $85,000 annually. Please read the FAQs below; any further questions about the program can be directed to Zan Strumfeld at [email protected].
The application period will close on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (ET).
The fellowship is open to domestic and international students, however we are unable to provide any visa support during the fellowship, so candidates would need to confirm with us that they will not rely on the Rockefeller Institute of Government for their visa support.
Candidates must hold a doctorate (or be awarded a doctorate by August 2025) in a field related to science, engineering, or technology.
Eligible fields include, but are not limited to:
Friday, December 20, 2024, 5pm EST
Applicants interested in applying must submit the following documents:
We ask you to provide three references who can speak to your support for the fellowship. Please provide their name, title, relation to you, phone number, and email address. References will be called only for those who are in the final stage of the selection process.
We recommend you write the cover letter to approach a broader audience, and not an academic one. Please speak to your academic background, research, and why you’re interested in your work, but please keep in mind the Selection Committee may not have experience in your discipline, even if they have a broad understanding.
When applications close, the Selection Committee will evaluate the written applications to select our semi-finalists for a 30-minute interview on Zoom in late January/early February. Finalists will then join in on a second round of interviews on Zoom; these will be three consecutive interviews, each 30 minutes – for a total of 90 minutes – to meet with a representative from the Executive, Senate, and Assembly. This will also give placement officers the opportunity to see where candidates may fit best. After the interview, finalists will be asked to rank their preferred placement. All candidates will be notified of our decisions by mid March/early April. Fellows will move to Albany and start their fellowship on August 1.
One of the key things we are looking for during the interview process is your ability to translate. We want to get a sense of your ability to work between and across different disciplinary areas, languages that are used in both your areas of research and in policy spaces. The fellowship is not envisioned as a top-down model to bring scientists into government to impart knowledge; rather, it’s translational work that is multi-directional. Example: you have a health/medical research background and you’ve worked directly with patients, translating research for them.
Yes, fellows must live in the Albany area. Placements are full time for two years. Work environments will vary for each placement, but most (if not all) offer hybrid options.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide moving stipends for fellows at this time.
Fellows will begin their fellowship on August 1, which will kick-off with the three-day National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Summit (in Boston in 2025). Upon returning, Fellows will take a trip down to New York City to meet representatives from the Simons Foundation. Then, fellows will participate in a week-long orientation on New York State government at the Institute. Placements will begin at the end of August.
While in their placements, fellows will also have a main objective with the Institute each year.
During Year 1, fellows will come to the Institute once a month for educational components, where you’ll hear from guest speakers both in government and science policy, addressing the intersection of science, technology, and public policy challenges.
During Year 2, fellows will no longer have the educational monthly meetings, and will be placed with a mentor in a high-level public role to gain insights for future work in the public sector beyond the program, who you’ll meet monthly with. You’ll also work on a year-long capstone project; with the presentations at the Institute at the end of your second year (August 2027). The capstone project will explore a public policy (executive orders, legislation, regulatory proposals, or state programs) related to key science and technology policy issues.
While fellows are working full-time in their placements, fellows can see the Rockefeller Institute as another homebase, where fellows can work out of, consult with our researchers as they navigate their new positions, and meet with their cohort for further support and camaraderie. During Year One, they will also come to the Institute once a month for their educational component sessions and present their capstone projects at the Institute at the end of Year Two.
