CCST S&T Policy Fellows

This fall, 2015 CCST S&T Policy Fellow Debra Cooper, PhD, was recognized as a 40 Under 40 honoree by the Sacramento Business Journal, a highly competitive achievement that recognizes outstanding young professionals. In the SacBiz profile, Debra reflects on her professional accomplishments, lessons learned, and her motivation to inspire Black girls, including her daughter. As […]

Update: The 2023 Application cycle is now closed. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Puneet Bhullar The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and Executive Branch offices.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and […]

  Fellows Application Webinar Series   SACRAMENTO, CA—Each year, the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and leadership training within the California State Legislature and Executive Branch. The application for the upcoming 2023 Fellowship class opens December 1st, 2021 and closes […]

Marika Nell is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed with the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials. Originally from Maryland, Marika earned a PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. In her research, she studied the water quality impacts of fracking operations by searching for known and unknown […]

Nichole Holm, PhD, is a 2021 CCST S&T Policy Fellow placed on the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee. Nichole’s doctoral research focused on the genetic changes in neurodegenerative disease and the use of genetics in clinical practice. She earned her PhD in Genetics from UC Davis and a BS in Biology from Eckerd College.   […]

  Bianca L. Gentil, PhD, is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). Bianca’s PhD research focused on identifying the economic characteristics of resilient prehispanic settlements in the face of economic, ecological, and demographic pressures. She earned her PhD in Anthropology from Penn […]

Jane Park is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed with the Assembly Committee on Utilities & Energy. From Northern California, Jane studied multigenerational impacts of crude oil exposure on development in natural fish populations. She earned her PhD in Integrative Genetics and Genomics from UC Davis and a BA in Biological Sciences […]

Grant S. Hisao is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Grant earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying biological molecules associated with infectious diseases. He conducted postdoctoral research in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Grant holds a […]

  SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & […]

Rylie Ellison is a 2021 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow placed on the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. Originally hailing from Washington State, in her graduate research Rylie developed treatment methods for dairy manure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make it a better fertilizer. She earned her PhD in Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry […]

Jeffery Song is the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows Program Manager. In this role, he provides end-to-end administration of all aspects of the Fellowship program, from recruitment and selection to training and coordinating placements. Jeffery worked most recently as a Transportation Policy Postdoctoral Researcher at University of California – Davis. Prior to that, he […]

  SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. CCST is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & […]

  SACRAMENTO, CA—We are excited to introduce the 2021 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Now celebrating its 12th year, the program places PhD level scientists and engineers 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. Applications are currently being […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song Start your application today. CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies.  Applications are Due March 1st. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST […]

Maria Montchal is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Maria received a PhD in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine. From New Jersey, Maria’s dissertation work focused on understanding how the brain allows us to remember when events occurred. She received a BA in […]

Grayson Doucette is a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was placed in the California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water. Grayson received a PhD in Materials Science from Penn State University. His dissertation focused on controlling how molecules interact with one another to learn what makes a more efficient next […]

CCST is seeking PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and government leadership training in the California State Legislature and California state agencies. SACRAMENTO, Calif. | CONTACT: Jeffery Song The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is now recruiting and accepting applications for the 2022 Class of CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows. Completed applications are due […]

Now available to watch. Join CCST, current Fellows, and Alumni for an informational webinar and Q&A session on the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. Applications for the 2022 class open Dec. 1st, 2020. Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a […]

REGISTER NOW Each year the CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellows program recruits a cohort of fifteen PhD scientists and engineers for a year of public service and leadership training within the California State Legislature and Executive Branch. In this webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the CCST Science Fellows program and how […]

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. David McAtee. Rayshard Brooks. Their killings have brought viscerally to light again the continued racism and violence toward Black people. Over the past month, we have been reflecting as an organization and as members of our communities to identify what actions we can take to promote equity and counter racism. My CCST […]

Ken McCullough is currently a 2020 CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow, part of the first class to include Executive Branch placements. Ken received a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University. Raised in Arizona, Ken studied the neurobiology of fear and PTSD for his dissertation, then chronic stress, depression and sleep at Harvard. He received […]