The following is a collection of policy resources and fellowships which may be of interest to those curious about or engaged in science policy. If we are missing any resources that would be useful to add, please let us know!
Stanford Resources
The Law and Policy Lab is finding solutions to some of our most pressing issues. Under the guidance of seasoned faculty advisers, Law and Policy Lab students counsel real-world clients in such areas as education, copyright and patent reform, governance and transparency in emerging economies, policing technologies, and energy and the environment.
At the Stanford Computational Policy Lab, we use technology to tackle pressing issues in criminal justice, education, voting rights, and beyond. Leveraging advances in data science, we study the impact of policy choices at unprecedented scales, and build algorithmic tools to guide high-stakes decisions. By bringing a computational perspective to public policy, we aim to improve the lives of millions of people — especially those affected by inefficient and unfair systems and practices.
A highly flexible 25-unit program is designed for students who are interested in policy but may not be able to complete a formal one or two-year policy degree. The program’s coursework provides a solid background in economics and quantitative methods, political analysis, ethics, and writing for policy audiences. These courses will equip students with a set of skills necessary to design and evaluate policies, conduct research, and advocate policy solutions. The certificate provides formal recognition for a coherent plan of policy studies. Several members of SSPG leadership are doing this right now, come talk to us!
External Resources
The NSPN is a non-profit representing early career policy, advocacy, and diplomacy groups distributed across the country, focused on providing a platform for sharing resources, building relationships, and training the next generation of scientists and engineers to be pivotal voices in all levels of policy making.
ESAL is a national organization dedicated to increasing local engagement by professionals with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many engineers and scientists are interested in making a difference in their communities, but they don’t know how to get involved or overlook the important role that cities, counties, and states play in policy development and implementation. We hope to encourage and help STEM professionals to meaningfully engage with their local government and with community-oriented non-profit and volunteer organizations by sharing stories of how others have made a difference in their communities.
The ESEP Coalition is an ad hoc alliance of organizations that have joined together to empower scientists and engineers to effectively engage in the policy making process at all levels of government (international, federal, state and local). ESEP serves as a resource one-stop-shop, a communication forum, networking opportunity and as an engagement vehicle for those interested or already engaged in science and technology policy including students, faculty members, industry scientists and engineers, policy fellows, young scholars and others.
The JSPG is a 501-c3 non-profit organization based in the United States and an internationally recognized, open-access peer review publication that serves as a vehicle for students, post-docs, policy fellows, early career professionals, and young scholars of all academic backgrounds to publish on topics addressing the widest range of issues at the intersection of science, technology, innovation, public policy and governance. JSPG publishes high quality articles on an accelerated timeline and serves as an independent platform to enable the next generation of STEM leaders to bolster their research and writing credentials while substantively contributing to current debate around science and technology policy and management.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is a national nonprofit organization founded more than 50 years ago by scientists and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Our mission: to use rigorous, independent science to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. Today, we are a group of nearly 250 scientists, analysts, policy and communication experts dedicated to that purpose.
Fellowships
The Science & Technology Policy Fellowships program provides opportunities for scientists and engineers to contribute to federal policymaking while learning firsthand about the intersection of science and policy.
The Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship places science students and postdoctoral trainees in newsrooms to work as reporters, editors and production assistants.
The L’Oréal USA Fellowships for Women in Science program is a national awards program that annually recognizes and rewards five U.S.-based women researchers at the beginning of their scientific careers. Recipients each receive up to $60,000 that must be put towards their postdoctoral research.
Launched in 1997, the Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program is a full-time, hands-on workforce training and educational program that provides early career individuals from around the world with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation.
The CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program annually recruits, trains, and places a cohort of PhD scientists and engineers directly into policymaker offices in the California State Legislature and Executive Branch in Sacramento.
During their year of public service, CCST S&T Policy Fellows work with policymakers and their teams to evaluate and research complex scientific issues, interpret data, and tackle the day-to-day responsibilities of full-time policy staffers — all while receiving regular training, seminars with California policy leaders, a close-knit cohort, and career guidance from CCST that sets Fellows up for success.
Stanford Science Policy Group 