Overview of the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF), a federal agency with an annual budget of nearly $7 billion (2010), funds roughly 20% of federally supported basic research carried out at U.S. colleges and universities.

A Director, Deputy Director, and members of the National Science Board (NSB), all of whom are appointed by the U.S. President, oversee the agency. The NSF is organized much like an academic institution. There are seven directorates (analogous to colleges within a university), several divisions (think departments) within each directorate, and many programs within each division.
This schematic illustrates the organization of the NSF:

The Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) in the Directorate for Engineering exemplifies the breadth of NSF funding initiatives. Within IPP, there are several programs targeting industry members and investors, K-12 educators, and not-for-profits. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides seed money for high-risk, high-reward ventures, while the Industry University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) develop long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government. Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) promote innovation by interfacing academia, state and local government, nonprofit, and private sector firms to work collaboratively on a research topic. At the NSF, funding opportunities exist for scientists at all career stages, in a wide variety of job sectors.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 employees working at the NSF headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Slightly more than half are permanent employees, while roughly 200 scientists from research institutions are on temporary duty (e.g. professors on sabbatical) and 450 are contract workers.

The NSF hires scientists, engineers, and educators on rotational assignment from academia and industry to strengthen the agency’s ties with the research community. The Visiting Scientist, Engineer, and Educator (VSEE) Program and the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Program are the primary programs through which rotator positions are established. These assignments are 1–4 years in duration, affording science professionals an opportunity to review and evaluate grants and initiate new funding programs, among other things.

Obtaining a permanent senior position at the NSF (e.g. Program Director) typically requires six or more years of professional experience after having completed a PhD. There are other paths that lead to employment at the NSF, namely internships and fellowships, such as the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program or the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships. More to come on policy fellowships… stay tuned!

Diversifying Academia and Beyond: Exploring Careers in Science Policy

This winter, BioAIMS officers Anjali Shastri and Cecilia Sedano, in collaboration with the Genetics Diversity Office, organized a Career Development Trip to Washington, DC: “Diversifying Academia and Beyond,” the first of its kind at the Stanford School of Medicine. Six Biosciences PhD students (myself included) traveled to Washington, DC to meet with scientists working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), State Department, and Congressional Offices.

Anjali Shastri shares insights from our trip to Washington, DC:

Anjali Shastri is a third-year Immunology PhD student.

In a nutshell, it was amazing! We had the chance to visit a host of agencies, as well as government offices across Washington, DC. We met a diverse group of people, from a variety of science backgrounds, all of whom are making distinct contributions to science and society.

One of the most significant things we discovered was the plethora of ways in which science-related issues are being addressed and supported in our government, and how that goes about happening. There is of course the direct funding for our PIs’ grants, from agencies like the NSF and NIH, but these agencies do much more, including actively devising and implementing programs aimed at promoting science education at all levels, from elementary school through grad school, as well as supporting innovation in science, such as through the NSF’s ‘Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships,’ which supports students, postdocs, and PIs who have novel ideas and want to collaborate with industry to implement them. The AAAS, which focuses largely on putting out science publications (like Science), also participates in revamping the science curriculums in schools, studies the interface between science, technology and human rights, and helps institutions promote ‘research competitiveness.’ The State Department is using science for Diplomacy, working on initiatives to promote the education of women in the US and internationally in STEM fields like the Biosciences. And ultimately it is Congress that holds the purse-strings, and so determines how much of this can actually get done.  

There are many more programs and initiatives like the ones I described, and many ways that Bioscience PhDs can contribute, both from within academia, as grad students, postdocs, and PIs, as well as through pursuing careers at these institutions. I think I can speak for everyone who went on the trip in saying that it was an eye-opening experience, and we are really looking forward to sharing all that we’ve learned with BioAIMS, SBSA, and the Biosciences community.

The six of us who traveled to Washington, DC will participate in a panel discussion to share what we have learned from our experience in DC. If you'd like to know more about careers in science policy for PhDs, you won't want to miss this!

WHEN: Thursday, June 23rd at 5:30PM


WHERE: Alway M-114


WHAT: Pizza and a Panel Discussion


WHY: A unique opportunity to learn about career paths for science PhDs and how to pursue them... and free food!!

RSVP here.

“Diversifying Academia and Beyond” received generous funding from the Genetics Diversity Office and the Stanford School of Medicine.