Senior Advisor, Metascience

Senior Advisor, Metascience

Location: Washington, DC (hybrid preferred)
Reports to: Director of Policy Entrepreneurship

Status: Part-time consultant (up to 30 hrs/week) for 12 months

Compensation: Up to $180,000 total for the 12-month contract, depending on experience and scope. Structured as a fixed monthly payment..

Why FAS?

Does FAS sound like an organization that you would be energized to join? Is it aligned to your values?

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) takes quite seriously our role as a beacon and voice for the science community.

FAS has a rich history: after the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, a group of atomic researchers – deeply concerned about the use of science for malice – created an organization committed to using science and technology to benefit humanity.

The group they created – the Federation of Atomic Scientists – soon became the Federation of American Scientists in recognition of the hundreds of scientists across diverse disciplines who joined together to speak with one voice for the betterment of the world.

Today, we are a group of entrepreneurial, intrepid changemakers, forging a better future for all through the nexus of science, technology and talent. We value equity, inclusion, and transparency. As a collective, we are building an organization focused on being impact-driven, customer-focused, and growth-oriented as a force for good in the world.

Skills and Expertise: Must Haves

What skills do you need to show proficiency (or higher) in order to be a strong candidate?

• Extensive experience working in or with the federal government, particularly in science agencies, research offices, or related policy roles.
• Demonstrated understanding of metascience and its application to real-world policy questions (e.g., funding, evaluation, incentives, research practice).
• Experience working at or closely with a research funding agency (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOE, ARPA-style programs), or deploying policy ideas within such institutions.
• Ability to translate evidence and analysis into practical, implementable policy solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially with senior policymakers.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and shaping new policy areas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Senior-level experience (e.g., former program officer, agency staff, senior policy advisor).
• Experience providing technical assistance to federal agencies or Congressional offices.
• Direct familiarity with federal grantmaking, peer review, or research administration processes.
• Experience working at the intersection of science policy, evidence, and government operations.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g. Science & Technology Studies, Cognitive Social Science, Science Policy, Economics, etc).

To Sum It Up…

What’s the “elevator pitch” for the role?

FAS is seeking a Senior Advisor for Metascience to refine and advance a strategy for reforming federal scientific institutions, funding and agenda-setting in ways that reflect evidence from the science of science. In particular, this role will focus on translating evidence about what actually works into policy and practice reforms across grantmaking, portfolio design, peer review, and research governance at a moment when such reforms have a significant window of opportunity.

This role is suited for someone with deep expertise in metascience and experience working inside or closely with federal non-defense research agencies, particularly in translating ideas into policy action and implementation. The Senior Advisor will engage in scoping, strategy, evangelism, opportunity identification, and translating ideas into policy proposals, actionable and practical pilots, guidance, and reforms. In short, undertaking the essential and creative policy entrepreneurship activities that are often required for an insight to become reality.

Key Responsibilities

Opportunity Identification and Policy Development (20%)

• Map federal opportunity space for potential opportunity windows and audiences for metascience reforms across institutional innovation, burden reduction, grantmaking, and more.
• Design policy proposals that apply metascience to evaluate and improve;
  • federal grantmaking structures
  • peer review and evaluation processes
  • portfolio-level funding decisions
  • administrative and compliance burdens on researchers

Government Engagement & Technical Assistance (20%)

• Work directly with federal agency staff (e.g., NIH, NSF, OSTP, OMB) to:
  • scope reform opportunities
  • provide technical assistance
• Serve as a trusted, nonpartisan resource to government partners navigating reforms to the research enterprise.

Implementation & Program Support (30%)

• Translate policy ideas into operational plans that agencies can realistically adopt.
• Support FAS-led initiatives (e.g., workshops, sprints, embedded support) that bridge policy design and execution.
• Contribute to internal strategy development around FAS’s metascience and research enterprise reform portfolio.

Thought Leadership & Field-Building (30%)

• Act as a writer-thinker-doer advancing applied metascience in policy contexts.
• Develop memos, briefs, and public-facing pieces that make complex research-system issues legible to policymakers and advocates.
• Engage with external experts, researchers, and institutions to stay current on metascience findings and best practices.