From the Bench to the Beltway: One Chemist's Journey into Science Policy

Whether you are an early career scientist or engineer working towards an advanced degree or a tenured faculty member with a long publication record, there are myriad opportunities to leverage your technical training and experience outside of the research laboratory. Science and technology policy is one of those sectors. There is a diverse array of options available to use your skills and experiences to make a positive impact, whether your work is focused on a single scientific community or many, in a single city or internationally. In this talk, I will use my own career path – starting from a small liberal arts college in Maine up through my current role in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science – to highlight some of these opportunities within the Federal Government. In the process, I will share some insights about the role of science in the Federal Government and the importance of the relationship between scientists and policy makers (and scientists that are policy makers) in maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and world-leading research ecosystem in the U.S.