Shara Williams of the RAND Corporation discusses the types of careers available in science and technology policy.

1. Exploring Your Career Options in Science and Technology Policy Shara Williams Scientists and Engineers for America 10/20/09 This presentation contains only the personal views of the presenter.

3. My Own Journey (so far)

4. Before graduate school--Los Alamos--Torsion balance experiment (1996)

5. Graduate school in physical chemistry at UC Berkeley Hildebrand Hall Berkeley Campus

6. I considered a number of career options as I neared graduation. . . post-doc, science writer, gov’t lab staff, professor, etc.

8. 2004-05 American Chemical Society– Sponsored Fellow at the State Department

9. Department of State (2004-2007) Worked on issues in support of arms control verification

11. Types of Work You Can Do in a National Security Science and Technology Policy Career

12. Trained Scientists or Engineers Help Policymakers in Two Main Ways Improving and implementing the technical education, research, or development process Informing policy-makers’ decisions They leverage their expertise and understanding of how research and development happens. 1 They perform general or technical analysis based on their skills and expertise. 2

13. Trained Scientists or Engineers Help Policymakers in Two Main Ways Improving and implementing the technical education, research, or development process Informing policy-makers’ decisions “ Using Science to Aid Policy Decisions” “ Making Policy to Aid Scientific Progress” They leverage their expertise and understanding of how research and development happens. 1 They perform general or technical analysis based on their skills and expertise. 2

14. Scientists and Engineers Can Perform Different Types of Work Related to Policy Advocacy Program Management Coordination Research You can fill more than one role in a single job

15. Examples of Possible National Security Roles for Scientists and Engineers Program Management Research Coordination Advocacy Policy to Aid Science Award and manage Defense Department grants Study how the Defense Department should best support basic research Coordinate an international collaboration to research new technology to detect terrorists Advocate for additional funding for redirection of former Soviet weapons scientists Science to Aid Policy Make decisions on which capabilities are feasible to include on a new fighter plane Research what technologies foreign nations are developing to support their militaries Coordinate a meeting to decide which military-related technologies will be export-controlled Perform technical analysis to convince lawmakers not to pursue development of “bunker-buster” bombs

16. Deciding Whether Working In Science and Technology Policy Is the Right Career Move for You

18. Deciding What You Enjoy, Are Good At, and Where You Want to Live (Rutgers)

19. Develop Domain Awareness and Preferences by Reading And also read online. . .

20. Attend Events. . . and Ask Questions At universities and colleges Or sponsored by organizations http://cisac.stanford.edu/ http://www.worldaffairscouncils.org/

23. Example of One Type of Transition – Work at a National Laboratory to Support Policy Decisions Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory LLNL ORNL

24. Fellowships Can Enable You to Do Policy Work at Various Points in Your Career Scoville PMF California Prf. Soc. AAAS Nat’l Acad. RAND B.S. Degree Holder Grad Student Ph.D. Post-doc New Professional / Academic

26. Backup