Science and Technology Fellowships

In partnership with the U.S. State Department, USAID hosts the Jefferson Science Fellowship, which places tenured faculty from U.S. higher education institutions to serve as advisors to the State Department or USAID for a one year fellowship.

Former Jefferson Science Fellows at USAID have :

• Provided in-depth consultation and training on Climate Risk Management, used by over 20 USAID Missions while revising their Country or Regional Development Cooperation Strategies;
• Worked with a foundation to assess and implement molecular surveillance testing for drug resistance in parasites that cause malaria;
• Utilized technical expertise to help increase regional energy security through new technology deployment, policy and regulatory reform, energy efficiency and energy financing
• Provided critical guidance to the USAID Administrator in the days immediately following the 2011 earthquake in Haiti on seismological trends, and
• Designed and launched a pilot project to demonstrate the use of energy management software in the industrial sector in the Western Balkans. 

IEEE-USA and USAID created the Engineering & International Development Fellows program to provide a resource of relevant scientific and technical expertise to USAID, from IEEE members. The intent is to facilitate the sharing of experience, to broaden the perspectives of both the science and technology professional and governmental communities, and to promote interactions that promote mutual learning. Fellows are placed in Washington, D.C. for this one year fellowship.   

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) created in 1973 to support the career and the public policy interests of IEEE’s U.S. members. 

Former IEEE-USA Fellows at USAID have:

• Participated in the planning and design to support compliance with USAID’s Open Data Policy; 
• Prepared briefing materials for USAID’s Senior Science Advisor in advance of site visits to implementing partners’ project sites; and 
• Managed a portfolio of regional research grants, supporting scientific research and partnership across South Asia.

USAID’s Science for Development Fellowship will provide direct links to the U.S. higher education community and enable USAID to leverage the expertise of scientists and engineers to support international development priorities around the world.  Fellows will serve for two-year terms in Washington, D.C., with an optional third year, and will work to leverage their expertise across USAID’s technical sectors. 

USAID will host the inaugural Science for Development Fellows cohort beginning in the fall of 2024. PhD-level scientists and Masters of Engineering graduates from all scientific disciplines, including life sciences, social sciences, mathematics, engineering, public health, and medicine, are encouraged to apply. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Science Fellows (ESF) program leverages the expertise of U.S. government scientists to build relationships and partnerships that advance American foreign policy and scientific priorities, further our understanding of worldwide science trends, promote U.S. scientific norms, and advance American foreign policy interests.

Scientists and engineers from U.S. government technical agencies provide expertise at Embassies and USAID Missions for up to three months. 

Since 2001, more than 550 Embassy Science fellows  from the federal government have lent their expertise to projects in Embassies and Missions around the world.

Opportunities are advertised within eligible Federal Government Agencies annually. USAID Missions may host ESFs in partnership with the Embassy, and USAID staff are eligible to serve as ESFs. 

Past USAID ESFs have:

• Led a collaborative sustainability initiative between the U.S. Embassy of Thailand and the Phuket Hotels Association with the aim of reducing single-use plastics in their 65 associated hotels;
• Focused on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) at the Embassy to the Holy See, a topic which was a rising interest among the Pope and other Vatican officials;
• Consulted with stakeholder entities documenting the opportunities and challenges associated with advancing wastewater collection, treatment, and reuse in the West Bank; and 
• Researched urbanization and climate impacts on Lagos State in Nigeria to create a set of recommendations for the Lagos State Government and inform the U.S. Consulate’s engagement in Lagos around resilience.