Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Awards Funding to Enhance Data Science Expertise in Federal Government
With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the American Statistical Association (ASA) and its sister societies will sponsor three AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows in the federal government in each of the next two years.
The fellows sponsored by the ASA, American Mathematical Society, Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, Mathematical Association of America and Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics will have expertise in data science—particularly causal inference and machine learning—and serve one year in a federal agency or on the staff of a senator, representative or congressional committee beginning September 2019.
"We are grateful to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for this opportunity to become sponsors of the prestigious AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships," said ASA Executive Director and principal investigator on the proposal to the foundation Ron Wasserstein. "We wholeheartedly support their desire to bring more statistical and data science to the federal government to meet its administrative, legislative and policymaking challenges."
"The ASA has a priority to raise the profile of statistics and data science in policy because of the many benefits that would result," said ASA President Lisa LaVange. "I'm thrilled for this opportunity. What better way to raise the profile than through people? I urge my colleagues in the statistical and data science community to apply. Having served in government and being proud of my accomplishments, I'm confident the statistics and data science fellows will make valuable contributions and find their service enriching and gratifying."
Daniel Goroff, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's vice president and program director, said "AAAS Fellows learn about and contribute to the important relationship between science and government by working in congressional offices of all sorts and in federal agencies like the Census Bureau. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is once again pleased to help support such fellows, this time by working through the American Statistical Association and the other member societies of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics."
"It's not every day that we welcome new partner societies into the policy fellowship fold, and we thank the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for their generous support," said Jennifer Pearl, director of the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships. "This is a fantastic development for data scientists, for the federal sector and ultimately for the American public."
Since 1973, the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships program has connected science with policy, fostering a network of science and engineering leaders who understand government and policymaking and are prepared to develop and execute solutions to address societal challenges. AAAS places about 300 people each year through this program.
Individuals who are US citizens and have a PhD in statistics, data science, mathematics or a closely related field are encouraged to apply. The societies seek candidates reflecting the diversity of the professions. Applications are due by January 15, 2019, and require a candidate statement, biographical sketch and three letters of reference.
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Contact: Steve Pierson, [email=pierson@amstat.org]pierson@amstat.org[/email], (703) 302-1841.
About the American Statistical Association
The ASA is the world's largest community of statisticians and the oldest continuously operating professional science society in the United States. Its members serve in industry, government and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare. For additional information, please visit the ASA website at www.amstat.org.
Provided by American Statistical Association