A Day in the Life of Science Policy: Organizing, Facilitating, and Balancing Perspectives

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This chapter gives an inside look into the responsibilities and tasks of working in science policy, including organizing meetings, consulting with stakeholders, and facilitating conversations. It also highlights the long-term intellectual component of the role, such as analyzing discussions to inform future conversations.

Early in his career, Apurva Dave was an oceanographer; now he works at the cutting edge of climate policy at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As the director of the Academies’ Climate Security Roundtable, he convenes cross-disciplinary dialogues on “emerging, abrupt, and understudied risks” at the nexus of climate change and national security. In this second episode in our Science Policy IRL series, Apurva joins senior editor Megan Nicholson to talk about his nonlinear path to this role, and how his hesitancy to specialize has helped him think about the complexities of interconnectedness in science and policy.

Is there something about science policy you’d like us to explore? Let us know by emailing us at podcast@issues.org, or by tagging us on social media using the hashtag #SciencePolicyIRL.

Resources:

Climate Security Roundtable of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Global Trends 2040 (March 2021).
Carol Dumaine’s essay “Redefining Security” in Issues in Science and Technology (Winter 2022).
Peter Schiffer and Frederick R. Chang’s essay “Academia’s Openness Could Strengthen its Partnerships With the Intelligence Community” in Issues in Science and Technology (Summer 2023).
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships