Applications for the 2023-2024 fellowship are closed

The application process is two stages:

Complete the secure online application form, verify your information, and upload your C.V. and Letter of Intent.

Upon completion of the application form, you will receive a personal URL. Provide this URL to your three references, who should each upload a letter of recommendation. For degree candidates, you should also include a letter from your adviser stating the anticipated completion date of your degree.

Acceptable file formats for online submission are limited to the following: ASCII text with file extension .txt; MS Word documents with file extension .doc; or Adobe PDF.

AGU Fellows will receive a monthly stipend for 12 months, plus allowances for vouchered travel and moving expenses incurred during relocation, for appropriate work-related vouchered travel expenses incurred during the fellowship year, and for travel to AGU Fall Meeting. Health care coverage is reimbursed by AGU.

All members of AGU who are citizens or eligible to work in the United States can apply for the fellowship.

Though the program is aimed at geoscientists with a doctorate degree, there are no restrictions on age, educational, career level, or specific scientific background.

Ph.D. candidates must have completed their degree work prior to the start of the fellowship term. Degree candidates should include with their references a letter from their adviser stating the status of their thesis, and their anticipated date of completion.

The committee seeks to recruit a diverse applicant pool for the fellowship. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Past Fellows have performed every type of work normally asked of permanent congressional staff, whether they are in personal offices or with committees. Activities may range from assisting in the preparation of major parts of authorization bills, writing press releases or speeches for members of Congress on a wide range of topics, answering constituent mail, preparing members of Congress for legislative debates on the floors of the House and the Senate, or meeting with lobbyists, special interest groups or agency representatives.

Fellows also write short articles or share their experiences in other formats throughout their fellowship year, for use in various AGU communication vehicles.

The letter of intent should include: why you would like to be a Congressional Science Fellow and how it may advance your career goals, how you are qualified, and what policy issues are of interest to you. There are no requirements for format or length, but most letters are approximately two pages.

If you have previously held a one-year policy fellowship at the federal or state level, please include a statement that explains how this additional experience would benefit your career development and the broader scientific community.

Applicants are not required to have experience in public policy, although such experience and/or a demonstrable interest in applying science to the solution of public problems is desirable.

Prospective Fellows should have a broad background in science. In their assignment, Fellows will be doing a variety of work, some of which may be directly related to their training, but all of which will put demands on their scientific education.

In addition, Fellows should be articulate, strong communicators, flexible, and able to work on a variety of public policy problems with people from diverse professional backgrounds.

Although AAAS coordinates the entire Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Program on behalf the organizations participating in the program, each organization selects, sponsors and supports its own CSFs. The selection process is highly competitive.

A committee of former AGU Congressional Science Fellows and AGU members who have worked in policy reviews applications and interviews finalists before making its selection.

We require three letters of recommendation from individuals who can discuss your professional competence, as well as other aspects of your background that make you qualified to serve as a Congressional Science Fellow.

You are responsible for soliciting the required letters and ensuring they are submitted before the deadline.

Letters of recommendation are to be submitted directly to AGU via the separate online form. You will receive a personal link for letters of recommendation after submitting your application. Provide this URL to your references, who may then input or upload your letter of recommendation. All letters must be received before the application deadline.

What do past fellows have to say about the experience? Watch former fellows Timia Crisp (2015-16) and Karen Akerlof (2016-17) talk about why they applied, their experiences, and how the fellowship has impacted their careers.

For more first-hand experience, read an interview with Anja Brandon, our 2020-21 fellow, who shares her experience working in Senator Merkley’s (OR-D) office and writing plastics legislation. Read more about our 2021-2022 Fellow Sarah Alexander and her journey from scientist to staffer on AGU's Bridge Blog.