Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
Our Science and Technology Policy Fellowship teaches science and technology experts with limited policy experience how to impact policy. The Fellowship consists of two blocks: 1) a mandatory full-time policy bootcamp that teaches fellows the basics of policymaking, including practical exercises, and 2) an optional, remote, and part-time final project.
Find out more about our upcoming Fellowship below:
Fellowship
Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
Applications Due Feb 17, 2025
This program is for US-based individuals with subject-matter expertise in a science and technology field. Any science and technology professional can apply, but, for the upcoming program, we will prioritize admitting those who work in one of three priority areas: emerging technology, cybersecurity, and climate change. We will also prioritize individuals who work directly with communities that face marginalization and/or who seek to tackle disparities around race and ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other aspects of diversity.
Accepted fellows will receive a $7,500 stipend to defray the costs of participating in the bootcamp block of the Fellowship (e.g., food and lodging). Out of town participants will also receive a small stipend to cover travel to the Bay Area. Those who opt into and successfully complete the optional final project block will be awarded an additional $5,000.
Please note that our program provides non-lobbying advocacy training. We do not teach participants to lobby or run political campaigns.
The Curriculum
The Science and Technology Policy Fellowship consists of two blocks: 1) a mandatory full-time in-person policy bootcamp that teaches fellows the basics of policymaking, including practical exercises, and 2) an optional, remote, and part-time final project.
The policy bootcamp includes:
- An orientation introducing fellows to the Fellowship, the other members of their cohort, and the policymaking process;
- Regular classes exploring what policy is and how to identify problems, define alternatives, develop relevant outputs, and communicate with stakeholders; and
- Action-oriented practical exercises, such as “how to write a policy memo” and “how to give an elevator pitch,” founded on real-world problems provided by our partners.
Fellows then have the opportunity to work remotely, for a minimum of 10-12 hours a week, on a final project. Fellows who choose to complete this project are required to create a suite of substantive policy outputs (e.g., draft regulations, toolkits for policymakers, white papers, op-eds, an app, etc.) and present them to policymakers. Fellows do not need to decide whether they would like to participate in the project block until the in-person block begins.
Eligibility
For the Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program, we are looking for applicants with the following characteristics:
1) Applicants should have significant professional experience with science (including environmental or climate science), technology, engineering, or mathematics.
For instance, applicants might work:
- as an engineer or computer scientist at a public interest organization;
- as a business executive at a science or technology company;
- at a university or think tank studying a STEM field;
- as an environmental lawyer.
Please note that these are just illustrative examples; we will consider applicants who work in roles other than these.
While all STEM experts and executives are welcome to apply, we are particularly interested in applicants who are passionate about problems in these 3 priority areas:
- Cybersecurity
- Emerging technology (such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, autonomous vehicles, quantum computing)
- Climate (including clean energy, environmental justice, and climate tech)
We also prioritize individuals who work directly with communities that face marginalization and/or who seek to tackle disparities around race and ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other aspects of diversity.
2) Applicants should show potential to apply their scientific or technical experience to affect policy and social change.
Applicants should be passionate about solving societal challenges related to science and technology topics (for example, cybersecurity or climate change), and should be able to articulate creative, innovative ways in which they want to make a difference and how their experience will help them do so.
3) Applicants may have not yet significantly explored their potential to enact change through policy.
This is an introductory program to the policymaking process, and applicants with significant policy experience are likely to be too advanced for this program. While we welcome all interested individuals to apply, we will prioritize applicants who do not have significant policy experience (such as a master’s in public policy or experience working in a policy role).
4) Applicants need to meet the following eligibility requirements for the program:
- Applicant(s) must be at least 21 years of age by the start of the program.
- Applicant(s) must be fluent in English.
- Applicant(s) must be able to commit to the full-time, 3.5-week, in-person policy bootcamp block.
- Applicant(s) must be able to reside in the Bay Area during the policy bootcamp block. The block will take place at Tides Converge in San Francisco. Note that fellows will receive a $7,500 stipend to defray the costs of food and lodging, and out-of-town fellows will receive an additional small stipend to cover travel to the Bay Area.
- Applicant(s) must have legal status to work and reside in the United States.
Fellowship FAQs
If your question is not answered here or in the materials above, please contact us.
General:
What is policy?
Great question, and one we will be exploring through much of the program. In general, policy is defined as a “course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual.” It is a set of rules that an organization or individual agrees to follow. Both governments and companies (and many other actors) set policies, and those policies have the potential to affect all of our lives. The goal of this program is to expose you to the value of policymaking, and to teach you how to impact policy yourself.
Why are you running this program?
We think there is tremendous opportunity for new voices to impact the policymaking process and help solve some of our generation’s most pressing science and technology problems. We love training people, and are excited to use all the lessons we’ve learned from training technologists, climate professionals, and nonprofit representatives to teach a blended cohort of science and technology experts to impact policy.
What types of classes do you offer in this program?
The program includes skills for impacting policy (such as defining policy problems and mapping stakeholders), communication skills (such as writing op-eds and policy memos), policy stakeholder classes (on topics such as state and local government and company policy), and classes on tech and climate policy. Fellows may also request specific classes on topics of interest.
Fellowship Logistics:
What is the exact timing of the next Science and Technology Fellowship?
Please see the details for our upcoming Fellowship here:
Fellowship
Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
Applications Due Feb 17, 2025
Will this program be full-time or part-time?
The 3.5-week bootcamp block of the Fellowship is full-time in San Francisco. Fellows will be expected to spend 40 hours a week on Fellowship programming, to be at our facility from 9-5pm PT, and to attend several evening events. Each fellow will receive a $7,500 stipend to offset the costs of temporarily relocating to San Francisco and taking time off of a job.
The optional final project block is completed remotely and part-time. Fellows who opt in will be expected to spend 10-12 hours a week on programming and project work. Those who successfully complete their project will be awarded an additional $5,000.
Will this program be run in person or remotely?
The policy bootcamp block of the Fellowship is held in person at Tides Converge in San Francisco.
The optional project block is completed remotely.
How will you keep an in-person Fellowship cohort safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
We follow all state and county-level guidance for COVID-19, such as wearing masks and social distancing. If we determine that we cannot run the program in person safely, we will move all programming to a remote, online format.
How much funding do accepted fellows receive?
All fellows receive a $7,500 stipend for participating in the mandatory policy bootcamp block of the Fellowship. Fellows who opt into and successfully complete a final project will be awarded an additional $5,000.
Do you provide health insurance during the Fellowship?
We are unable to provide health insurance during the Fellowship due to its short duration.
Do you cover travel to and lodging in the Bay Area?
We provide a small travel stipend to fellows living outside the Bay Area to cover the cost of traveling to San Francisco. We expect fellows to use their $7,500 stipend to cover other living costs, such as lodging.
Can I continue to work in my job as a Policy Academy fellow?
The bootcamp block of the Fellowship is full time and intensive, and the programming is similar to that required of a full-time student, with classes 5 days a week. We expect your full attention and attendance in our facility during those 3.5 weeks.
Because of the intensity of the program, accepted fellows should plan to take a leave of absence from full-time work during the policy bootcamp block (3.5 weeks). Many employers offer “social service” or “civic service” leave to facilitate participation in this type of program. Please contact us if you have specific questions about this process. We are also available to help accepted applicants talk with their employers about their participation.
Fellows may continue part-time activities as long as the Fellowship remains their first priority, they remain fully available during Fellowship hours, and there is no conflict of interest with their potential final project.
Application Process:
I am on a visa. Am I eligible to apply to the Fellowship?
It depends. Legal Permanent Residents are definitely eligible for the Fellowship, as are those on visas that have no restrictions on where they can work. Applicants on H-1Bs and other visas tied to employers may not be eligible. We are unable to sponsor visas for the Fellowship. Please contact us to discuss your situation (with the caveat that we are unable to give you immigration advice).
I am a student/recently graduated. Am I eligible to apply to this program?
You may apply to the Fellowship as long as you are 21 and meet all the other criteria listed in the program eligibility section above.
I would like to join your program to learn more about policy, but I don’t have experience in science or technology. Can I still apply?
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept applications from candidates without science and technology experience (though note that we define this broadly, so you do not need a university degree in these topics to qualify). We suggest looking at university degrees and certificates in public policy as an alternative to our program.
I would like to join your program to learn more about policy, but I do not have experience in one of your priority areas. Can I still apply?
While we prioritize applicants with experience in our priority areas, we expect to admit a small number of fellows who don’t have experience in those areas. So you may apply to the Fellowship if you have science and technology experience but not experience in our 3 priority areas.
I do not have a science and technology degree. Am I still eligible to apply to this program?
Yes; we hope to accept a diverse range of applicants to the Fellowship, including those without formal university degrees in science and technology fields. However, please make sure that you meet all the other criteria for the program, including significant experience working in science or technology.
I already have significant policy experience. Am I eligible to apply to this program?
This is an introductory program to the policymaking process. Usually, applicants who have significant policy experience (such as experience working in a government policy role) will be too advanced for this program. However, we would still love to hear from you; we may have opportunities to engage you as a policy mentor or on future in-house projects. Please email us or join our mailing list.
How do I write a policy memo?
While we will review best practices for writing a policy memo as part of the Fellowship, there is no one way to write such a memo. The appropriate structure depends on the problem you are trying to solve. In general, a few tips are:
- Your memo needs to define the problem (using evidence, as appropriate, to support your position), lay out your proposed solution, and identify major obstacles to the implementation of your solution.
- To be effective, your memo also needs to be written extremely clearly. For some advice on clear writing, see this blog post from Y Combinator. We also recommend this post by Paul Graham.
- While not required, many strong memos will tie the writer’s experience in STEM to the problem they identified or to the solution they are attempting to apply.
What is the application timeline?
Please see the details of our upcoming Fellowship here:
Fellowship
Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
Applications Due Feb 17, 2025
In the application, do I need to propose a project in one of your priority areas?
No. We will also accept applicants who propose projects related to other areas of science and tech policy! Please note that applications in the priority areas will be reviewed by experts with specific knowledge of those areas. As a result, applicants who stretch their application to fit it into a priority area may be disadvantaged by doing so. If you are not sure whether your project qualifies for a priority area, please either contact us or submit it without indicating a priority area.
How do I submit myself for consideration for the Savilla Pitt Memorial Fellowship?
All applicants to Policy Academy programs are automatically considered for the Savilla Pitt Memorial Fellowship; there are no additional materials required. You can find more information here.