CCST S&T Policy Fellows

CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Placing PhD Scientists into Policy Careers Update (3/12/2024): The application for the CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellowship has closed. Applications will reopen on December 1st for the next class year. SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is accepting applications for the CCST Science & Technology […]

It’s the Journey, Not the Destination It’s time for the walls that separate scientists from each other and the outside world to come down. This sentiment echoed throughout AAAS 2024 and served as the theme for the conference, “Toward science without walls.” Chosen by AAAS President Keith Yamamoto, he emphasized his careful choice of words, […]

  WATCH All About the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Informational Webinar and Live Q&A with Alumni Are you exploring career options where you can use your PhD to have a real world policy impact? Watch this webinar to learn more about the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, where PhD scientists, social scientists, […]

MEET THE NEW FELLOWS Introducing the 2024 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows See where these talented PhD scientists will be spending their Fellowship year in California State Government. SACRAMENTO, CA—We are excited to introduce the 2024 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Now celebrating 15 years of Fellows, the program places PhD level scientists, […]

In 2023, CCST celebrated 35 years of strengthening California policy with science. Along the way, we significantly grew our impact, achieved milestones years in the making, and embraced some big changes. This fall, after bidding farewell to our CEO and long-time champion Amber Mace, I stepped in as Interim CEO, and I’m more inspired than […]

  There are many ways that being a scientist can help prepare someone to work in a policy role, and I’ve come to see that my work both inside and outside of the lab helped set me up for success. Subject matter experts play an important role in state agencies and legislative policy committees. Having […]

  Where are you placed? I’m working in the office of Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who represents neighborhoods in the City of Los Angeles for the 26th District. I staff her on policy issues that are addressed in the following Senate committees: Energy, Utilities, and Communications; Transportation; Agriculture; and Health. I’m also staffing several bills […]

Making a Big Career Change After years of crafting my skills as a scientific researcher — refining my techniques, feeling confident in my workflow from reading papers to collecting data in the field, and completing my PhD — I was excited (and a little nervous!) to embark on this new science policy journey. I think I can […]

  Reflecting on my life’s journey so far, I realize there is a common thread throughout that has guided and supported me along the way—a sense of community. I’ve been lucky to have and develop supportive communities around me at every stage of my academic and policy career. My close-knit friendships during college in Oklahoma, […]

  What did you study in grad school and why did you decide to go into policy? I earned my PhD in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University, where I studied nanotechnology and polymers to make carbon capture more efficient. But I remember the moment when I realized I needed to go into environmental and climate […]

  CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Meets $30 Million Endowment Goal, Thanks to $10 Million from State Budget Historic State investment affirms value and impact of the CCST Fellowship, as the program enters its 15th year of delivering scientific expertise to policymakers   California just made a historic move to help ensure that science […]

Read Online  |  Download (PDF)     In 2021, we launched CCST’s five-year strategic plan, “Toward a Resilient California” – a call to action that outlines three clear, measurable goals to guide our work in this critical time for our state and the planet. They are ambitious targets that will amplify the Golden State’s global […]

I am not a planner. Looking at my CV, it may seem like I was always intent on science policy, but in graduate school I did not have a five-year plan, let alone a singular career trajectory in mind. Instead, I found my way by staying curious and trying new things. My advice for PhDs […]

  By Keleigh Friedrich, CCST Director of Communications Susan Hackwood is former Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Professor Emerita of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Hackwood received her PhD in Solid State Ionics from DeMontfort University, UK. Before joining academia, she was […]

How does the ability to flip a switch and turn your lights on relate to my coastal ecology research—studying seaweed species and counting hermit crabs? More than you might think. A few months into my placement on the Assembly Utilities & Energy committee, I’ve been surprised to find much of what I learned about biology […]

Washington, DC—The California Council on Science and Technology is attending the 2023 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, themed around “Science for Humanity.” Returning in person this year, CCST coordinated two workshops, a scientific session, and an exhibitor booth for the CCST S&T Policy Fellowship in partnership with other state science policy fellowship programs. CCST has […]

CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program Places PhD Scientists into Policy Careers Apply to transform your PhD expertise into an impactful science policy career in California. START YOUR APPLICATION  |  Download Fellowship Flyer  |  Download Fellowship Poster Update 2/16: The application period had been extended by one month to March 31st. SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Council […]

  In January of 2022, I took my very first work trip as a CCST S&T Policy Fellow at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to observe a wildfire-impacted disaster site. After a three-hour drive—weaving through winding roads toward the Sierra Nevada mountains—I stepped out of the car in my uniform (a […]

SACRAMENTO, CA—We are excited to introduce the 2023 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Now celebrating its 14th year, the program places PhD level scientists, engineers, and social scientists in Legislative and Executive Branch offices, training them for careers in public policy while helping to equip California’s decision makers with science-savvy staff. APPLY NOW: We are currently […]

CCST S&T Policy Fellowship Alums to Discuss the Application and Interview Process Learn about an opportunity to transform your PhD expertise into an impactful science policy career in California. Download Fellowship Flyer | Poster CCST employs a multi-step process to evaluate each candidate based on their potential success in the Fellowship. Watch this webinar to hear […]

Tick tock, tick tock. It’s been a year since I moved to Sacramento from Colorado, eager to transform my career, bask in the mild winter of California, and somehow contribute to state policy. I was uncertain and nervous. Whereas many of the other CCST S&T Policy Fellows are from California or California institutions, I couldn’t […]