AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships 2027–2028: A One-Year Washington Placement With a $101,401–$131,826 Stipend for PhD Scientists and Engineers Who Want to Shape Federal Policy

AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships 2027–2028: A One-Year Washington Placement With a $101,401–$131,826 Stipend for PhD Scientists and Engineers Who Want to Shape Federal Policy

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) runs one of the oldest and best-established bridges between the research community and the U.S. federal government: the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships, usually shortened to STPF. Each fellow spends a year inside a federal office — most often an executive-branch agency, sometimes a congressional office or the judicial branch — applying scientific and technical training to the actual work of policymaking, budgeting, program design, and oversight. The program has run for roughly five decades and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, building an alumni corps that now numbers in the thousands and reaches across academia, government, industry, and the nonprofit world.

If you hold a doctorate in the sciences or engineering and you have been curious about how decisions get made in Washington — how a research budget is defended, how a regulation is drafted, how evidence does or does not reach a member of Congress — this is the most structured way to find out from the inside. The 2027–2028 class application opens on August 1, 2026 and closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 1, 2026. Fellowships in that class begin on September 1, 2027. This guide walks through what the fellowship offers, who is eligible, how the selection process runs, and how to prepare a competitive application in the months before the portal opens.

Key Details at a Glance

Stipend figures shown here are the 2026 rates published by AAAS and are used as a reference; the exact stipend for any individual fellow depends on the fellowship type, the sponsoring office, and the number of years of postdoctoral professional experience. Confirm the current figures on the official site when the 2027–2028 application opens.

What the Fellowship Offers

The core of STPF is a full-time, yearlong assignment inside the federal government. Fellows are not observers on a study tour; they take on substantive portfolios — writing analyses, managing programs, advising on technical questions, supporting legislation, evaluating grants, and helping translate research findings into decisions. The point of the program is dual: the government gains access to independent scientific and engineering expertise, and the fellow gains a working understanding of how policy is actually produced.

Financially, the fellowship pays a stipend rather than a fixed single salary. For the 2026 cycle, AAAS listed stipends ranging from about $101,401 to $131,826 per year, with the placement on that scale determined by the program area, the sponsor, and how many years of postdoctoral professional experience the fellow brings. In addition to the stipend, the program provides a professional development and travel allowance and access to health insurance options, along with a year of structured programming — orientation, skill-building sessions, and a large peer network of fellows placed across dozens of offices at the same time. That cohort is one of the most valuable and least visible parts of the fellowship: you arrive in Washington already connected to hundreds of other scientists and engineers doing parallel work in different corners of the government.

Fellowships run for one year, from September 1 through August 31. In several program areas — notably many executive-branch placements — fellows may have the option to serve a second year by mutual agreement with the host office, though this is not guaranteed and terms vary. Congressional and judicial placements are generally structured as one-year experiences. Treat the first year as the commitment you are applying for, and confirm renewal specifics with AAAS and your host once you are placed.

The Fellowship Areas and Where Fellows Work

STPF is not a single placement but a set of program areas spanning the three branches of the federal government:

• Executive Branch. This is where the large majority of fellows are placed. Fellows work in federal departments and agencies across areas such as health, energy, defense, the environment, international development, agriculture, and science funding. Executive-branch applicants rank their agency preferences and go through a placement process that matches interests, expertise, and host needs.
• Congressional (Legislative Branch). A smaller number of fellows serve in the offices of individual members of Congress or on committee staff, working directly on legislation, hearings, and constituent-facing science and technology questions. This track is fast-paced and generalist; you may cover a wide range of issues in a single week.
• Judicial Branch. A very small number of fellows support the federal judiciary, working on the intersection of science, technology, and the courts.

Because executive-branch placements dominate, most applicants should think seriously about which agencies and mission areas fit their background and goals. That said, the congressional and judicial tracks offer a fundamentally different vantage point on how science reaches government, and they attract candidates who want direct exposure to the legislative process or the courts.

Who Is Eligible

Eligibility is defined tightly, and it is worth checking yourself against each requirement before investing time in an application:

• U.S. citizenship is required. Dual citizenship — U.S. plus another country — is acceptable, but you must hold U.S. citizenship.
• A doctoral-level degree in a qualifying field. Acceptable degrees include the PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, EdD, PharmD, and similar terminal doctorates. Eligible disciplines span the social and behavioral sciences; the medical and health sciences; the biological, physical, and earth sciences; and the computational sciences or mathematics. Some other degrees may qualify on a case-by-case basis.
• Alternatively, an MS in engineering plus three years of professional engineering experience. Engineers without a doctorate can qualify through this route.
• A J.D. alone does not count as a doctoral-level degree for this program.
• You cannot be a federal employee, including those in Title 42 positions. The fellowship is designed to bring external perspectives into government, so people already inside the federal workforce are not eligible.
• All career stages are welcome. Fellows range from recent postdocs to mid-career professionals, faculty on sabbatical, and retired scientists. There is no age ceiling and no requirement to be early-career.

If you meet the degree and citizenship tests but are unsure whether your specific field or credential qualifies, contact AAAS before the deadline rather than assuming.

The Application Timeline

The STPF calendar is long, and understanding it helps you plan references and materials well ahead of the deadline:

• August 1, 2026 — the 2027–2028 application opens on the AAAS fellowship portal.
• November 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET — application deadline. This is a hard cutoff.
• Mid- to late November 2026 — notification of eligibility.
• Late January to early February 2027 — notification of status and interview invitations.
• Late February to early March 2027 — semi-finalist interviews. As part of this stage, applicants are typically asked to prepare a one-page briefing memo on a designated science policy topic within about ten days.
• Spring 2027 — finalist interview week (conducted virtually for the Executive Branch program area and the Pathways to Policy Fellowships).
• May to early June 2027 — fellowship placement offers extended.
• September 1, 2027 — fellowships begin, with orientation in early September.
• August 31, 2028 — fellowship end date.

You may apply to up to two fellowship areas, but each area requires a separate application. The portal lets you save and revise your application repeatedly before final submission, so there is no penalty for starting early and refining.

Required Materials and How to Prepare

While AAAS publishes the definitive checklist inside the application portal, STPF applications generally center on a few well-understood components: a current CV or resume, a set of essays or personal statements that explain your motivation and readiness for policy work, and letters of reference. Because the exact requirements can change year to year, read the portal instructions carefully the moment the application opens on August 1, 2026, and build your materials around that year’s prompts.

A few preparation principles hold across cycles:

• Line up references early. Strong letters take time. Approach recommenders in the summer, well before the November deadline, and give them your CV, a short summary of why you want the fellowship, and the deadline in writing.
• Write for a non-specialist reader. Reviewers and, later, host offices want to see that you can translate technical depth into clear, decision-relevant language. Essays crammed with jargon work against you. Practice explaining your research and its societal relevance to someone outside your field.
• Show genuine interest in policy, not just curiosity about Washington. The strongest applications connect specific scientific expertise to specific public problems, and demonstrate some prior engagement — committee service, science communication, advocacy, community work, teaching, or policy coursework — that signals you will thrive in a government office.
• Prepare for the briefing memo. The semi-finalist stage’s one-page memo is a real test of policy writing. If you reach that stage, treat it seriously: state the problem, lay out options, and make a clear recommendation in accessible prose.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants who fall short often make avoidable errors. The most common is treating STPF like an academic postdoc application — leading with publication counts and technical detail rather than demonstrating the judgment, communication, and adaptability that policy work demands. Another is underestimating the citizenship and federal-employee rules; confirm you are eligible before you start. A third is leaving references to the last minute, which produces thin, generic letters. Finally, some strong scientists write essays that never explain why they want to leave the bench, even temporarily, for policy — reviewers need to believe your interest is real and considered, not a passing curiosity or a job-market fallback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to leave my current job or academic position? The fellowship is a full-time, in-person commitment in the Washington, D.C. area for the year. Many fellows take leave from a faculty or research position; others are between roles. You cannot hold a federal employee position while serving.

Is the stipend the same for everyone? No. The stipend falls within a range (about $101,401–$131,826 in 2026) and depends on the program area, the sponsoring office, and your years of postdoctoral professional experience.

Can I apply to more than one program area? Yes — up to two — but you must submit a separate application for each area you want to be considered in.

What if my degree is unusual or my field is borderline? Some degrees and fields qualify on a case-by-case basis. If you are unsure, contact AAAS before the November deadline rather than assuming you are ineligible.

Can the fellowship be renewed? Many executive-branch placements can be extended for a second year by agreement with the host office, but this is not guaranteed and varies by program area. Plan around the one-year term.

Next Steps and Official Links

The most important date to hold is August 1, 2026, when the 2027–2028 application opens, followed by the November 1, 2026 deadline. Use the intervening weeks now to check your eligibility, draft a working CV, identify the agencies or branch that fit your expertise, and reach out to potential recommenders so they are ready when the portal opens.

Apply and find the full, current requirements through the official AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships program page at aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships, and submit through the fellowship application portal at fellowshipapp.aaas.org. Always confirm stipend figures, eligibility details, and deadlines against the official AAAS pages, since the program updates these each cycle.