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. 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).
