Influence Policymaking While Helping the Statistics and Data Science Professions

 
The ASA is accepting applications for its science policy fellowship for Fall 2021. A one- to two-year position, the fellow will be based at the ASA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia; however, they will spend much of their time in Washington, DC, advocating for statistics and experiencing first-hand how federal science policy is formed. 

Past fellows have furthered ASA efforts across all branches of government. For example, they have helped draft amicus brief arguments for the Supreme Court on issues such as immigration and diversity in the media and made recommendations to the legislature on the use of statistical evidence and funding agencies to support reproducible research. They have led ASA communication initiatives such as the “State of the US Data Infrastructure” article series and organized and participated in Ask Me Anything digital town hall events, which answered questions about elections and the decennial census.  

We will start considering applications May 1 and continue until the position is filled. Questions about this opportunity and application requirements may be directed to ASA Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson.  
 
The fellowship was created in 2016 to elevate the profile of statistics in policymaking and advocate on behalf of the profession. Amy Nussbaum was the ASA’s inaugural science policy fellow; Daniel Elchert was the second. Jonathan Auerbach is the current fellow. Elchert discussed his time as a fellow and encouraged others to apply in a February 2020 article.