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Technologist As Policy Advisor
Technologist As Policy Advisor
crisis, improving American health outcomes (which are not to a conference of people involved in driving biological
acceptable for the world’s wealthiest country), making sure technologies and the next generation of bio-manufacturing,
the door to opportunity is open for every single American about the potential for a bio-economy. I also got to speak about
(the most fundamental American dream that we have not yet work we’re doing on the oceans at a conservation summit
achieved), and dealing with our national security challenges, where the President made several exciting announcements,
which are different today than they were – it’s not the Cold some of which we have been a part of proposing and
War, it’s not just a counterterrorism period, we’ve got other shepherding through the implementation process.
geopolitical issues to deal with. That’s what’s on our plates;
that’s what we need to make the innovation system really
"If we’re going to achieve these
effective for. That’s how I think about our work, and there are
many branches and components to how we actually achieve really complex, sometimes daunting
that, but that’s ultimately what it’s all driving towards. aspirations that we have as a society,
SPR: How does your background as a scientist and it really does require systems thinking
engineer help you put those pieces together? because there’s no magic bullet
AP: Many of the issues we’re dealing with have technical that’s going to address all these
and scientific ground truth, and if you don’t understand what challenges."
our current grasp of the facts is, then you can’t make good
policy. That’s true about measures we might take to restore
SPR: What role does the OSTP play in policy
biodiversity, or deal with the climate crisis, or deal with these
formulation?
very complex natural systems that we’re embedded in. It’s
true if you’re grappling with how artificial intelligence (AI) is AP: Policy has many different facets. Routinely Congress
advancing today. It’s true if you’re thinking about the power of will be working on legislation, and they will turn to us to
biology, and the way we’re starting to harness it to do more get input on the legislation that they are crafting. There are
and more powerful things. also other policy issues that aren’t yet at that specific point,
where our role is to step back, look at them as a whole,
I’ll also say that a lot of my engineering training is a
and sort out: where are our strengths? What’s the competitive
way of thinking in systems. At the end of the day, if we’re
position around the world? What needs to happen to let this
going to achieve these really complex, sometimes daunting
opportunity blossom?
aspirations that we have as a society, it really does require
systems thinking because there’s no magic bullet that’s going I’ll use the work that we did last year that resulted in the
to address all these challenges. A way to understand the bio-economy executive order as an example (1). That was
complexity of the system and start grappling with it, start an area where people who were working in technology had
figuring out where the leverage points are... those are skills seen the advances in our ability to design the first-generation
that I think are integral to the engineering mindset and biotech pharmaceuticals, but now we’re starting to have a
enterprise that I find extremely valuable in this much broader much faster, much more robust ability to engineer biology
context. beyond diagnostics or medical treatments. Instead of using
dead dinosaur molecules to build the structures and materials
SPR: For a relatively small team, the OSTP
that we are surrounded with, we now have the potential to
coordinates vast national initiatives. What does your work
design biology to build a much more sustainable future–and
on a day-to-day basis look like?
even to build materials and structures that don’t exist today.
AP: If you ask people in my organization, you would get Our work on this very fertile, very exciting area ultimately led to
very different answers. I’ve got a wonderful team of people an executive order from the President, and its implementation
with deep expertise in many different areas, and they tend will include a whole set of policy actions. For example, we
to focus on their particular area of expertise. For example, need to provide funding to scale up bio-processes, which is
Danielle Carnival runs the Cancer Moonshot and leads our something we identified as a gap in the American innovation
health outcomes effort [2]. She spends 24/7 making sure system, but a lot of our work is actually framing to make sure
we achieve the President’s goals on cancer and change the policy work that gets done is the thing that really does
outcomes for Americans. lead to the kind of scale and impact that we’re looking for. It
For me, a lot of the richness and fun comes from the can be very specific or it can be that kind of framing work; it’s
breadth of the topics I work on because they’re each important quite a mix.
to how our future unfolds and we get to participate in shaping Although I mentioned that we’re working directly with
that. I am frequently in conversations with lots of people, Congress on legislation, a lot of things happen within the
including my White House colleagues and other Cabinet Executive branch itself. The coordination mission we have
members, about what’s happening with artificial intelligence, allows us to be in daily contact with all the departments
for example, which is fast-moving with very broad implications and agencies that might be working in a particular area, and
for many different areas. How do you bring systems thinking because we’ve got people here that have expertise in that
to those areas? As another example, I recently got to speak area and really know what’s going on across the Federal
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Government, we can drive to a place that we wouldn’t have SPR: How does your team reach out to other scientists
gotten to if everyone was just off doing their piece. or experts across the country? How can scientists assist
I’ll give you a really important historical example: the Global with the process of policy formulation and prioritization?
Change Research Program, authorized in the early 1990s (2). AP: There are many formal mechanisms that we use –
People were starting to be concerned about climate change, from interagency coordination activities, the National Science
but even the people who knew to be concerned about it didn’t and Technology Council, and advisory committees – to get
have the assessments they needed to be able to move out and input from outside voices. Every participant of my team is also
do things. There was still a lot of confusion. NASA knew some out picking up the phone and calling people, going out and
information, the National Weather Service had other pieces, meeting with people, and making sure we hear all kinds of
but the components did not add up to a deep understanding perspectives, because we only work on hard issues. That’s
of where we were on climate and where things were going our daily work, and it’s very important that we do it actively.
to go. There wasn’t this interagency process. Now, we have It doesn’t work to just sit here in our gorgeous building at the
a handle on what’s going on with climate. We’re part of an White House complex and wait for people to show up. We
international community. There’s still plenty of uncertainty, but have to be very actively engaged in it.
there’s far less than there was. It is enough that we can all Who comes into the OSTP is also an important part of
start taking meaningful action, which is a very big deal. I think that. Most of our folks are detailees: many from other parts of
that’s a great example of something more than the sum of the government and some from nonprofits or universities out in the
parts. world. It’s this wonderful blessing because it gives us a way to
get incredible talent and expertise, but it’s also heartbreaking
because they come for a little while and then they go on. So
"I would love for people in your
not only do they bring great things to us, but they take great
community who are already things with them out into the world when they leave. That’s
passionate about policy issues part of our process.
and science and technology and A long time ago, I was a Congressional Fellow under
innovation to step up. I’d love for the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) umbrella [3]. That was 1984 – ancient history! That
them to raise their hands and find
is a one time-honored technique for people to have a stint in
some of these paths." public service, an amazing learning experience and a great
contribution.
SPR: There’s so much going on across the nation. I would love for people in your community who are already
How do you choose what policy priorities or strategic passionate about policy issues and science and technology
directions to put your muscle behind? and innovation to step up. I’d love for them to raise their hands
and find some of these paths. That would be wonderful!
AP: Big changes happen in our country at the confluence
of two things: one is major societal aspirations, needs, SPR: You started your public service in 1984. What
or challenges, and the other is innovation. Where are the changes have you seen in the way that science plays a
advances that can be really powerful for the challenges that role in policymaking over that time?
we’re facing? AP: I’m going to broaden into science and technology;
I’ve talked a little bit about our major aspirations, ranging that’s the better frame for thinking about this.
from health outcomes, access to opportunity for every person, The biggest thing that has affected every single person
dealing with the climate crisis, and our national security in the realm of science and technology is how information
challenges. On the opportunity side, in terms of science and technologies have not just grown, but exploded. In 1984,
technology, we’ve already talked a little bit about biology when I showed up at the Congressional Office of Technology
and the biological revolution. What’s happening with AI Assessment, I got a word processor (people didn’t have
represents the next chapter of the information revolution as personal computers sitting on their desks yet) and an email
it’s unfolding, and I would also like to add what’s happening account, which was considered very avant-garde in 1984.
in social sciences. We’ve tended to talk about the advances That’s the world as it was. In 1993, I was appointed by
in information, technology, social media, and AI as hard President Clinton to be Director of the National Institute of
technologies, but really the power that’s happening lies in the Standards and Technology. I’d been at DARPA for about seven
confluence of technology and individuals, communities, and years at that time. I started as a program manager and then
society as a whole. Part of what that means is that our ability started a semiconductor office there. In 1993, I went to NIST
to use social science, not just to understand but to be able to and I distinctly remember that no one had email addresses
steer and move things in constructive directions, is starting to on their business cards. People were just starting to get their
bubble up. There are many other areas of research that are heads around this idea of the World Wide Web, and we were
important, but I would offer biology, AI, and social sciences building our first website when I was at NIST.
as three particularly powerful areas.
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we are deep experts, and we should go forth and bring our single word, and that word is “possibilities.” Every time I hear
expertise. I would couple that with a little humility, curiosity, him say that, it lights me up because I do think that is the inner
and willingness to learn because the rest of the world does spark of what America is all about, but it is also what scientists
not work the way the world you just grew up in operates. The and engineers get to do. We get to create possibilities, and a
people who really make a huge impact in the world are the lot of the joy that I have felt in getting to work in this field is
ones who want to make that impact so badly that they’re willing that sense that we get to help shape the future.
to learn new things, talk to people that know things that they With all the hard problems in the world, we come to work
don’t know, and work across boundaries. If you have those every single day to try to create a better future. I think that’s
characteristics, then you can really make a big contribution. one of the most joyful things that we can do. And I would say
SPR: What advice would you give a young scientist to anyone who’s in science and technology and innovation,
who wants to make an impact beyond the lab and let’s enjoy that. Let’s embrace it. It’s a great responsibility, but
participate in the policymaking process? it’s also one of the most joyful things you can ever get to do.
AP: I think I find that for every individual, your entire So, I think we’re the lucky ones.
professional life is a journey, and you’re trying to find the place
where you get to do the work that lights you up. Often that is "With all the hard problems in the
the place where what you’re bringing to the table is incredibly
world, we come to work every single
valuable. I have hit that resonance a handful of times in my
professional life. You should not go into your professional life day to try to create a better future.
imagining that you’re going to have 50 years of that because I think that’s one of the most joyful
that’s not the way the world works. But when you hit that time things that we can do."
and that place where what you’re great at and what you care
about is what that organization needs and you can just go
forth and make your contribution, those are pretty amazing
Citation
Gehred, N. D. & Petersen, L. Scientists as Policy Advisors:
times.
A Conversation with Dr. Arati Prabhakar. MIT Science Policy
If you have the luxury of exploring and looking at Review 4, 3–8 (2023). https://doi.org/10.38105/spr.
internships or fellowships, trying something that’s off the zvofsm6s3h.
beaten track, try it – you might find something you love. That’s
what happened to me; I took this Congressional Fellowship
Open Access
and I just went off in a direction that I couldn’t even imagine
before I did that. Other people will come to try something like
that, and then they will just go back and do exactly what they This MIT Science Policy Review article is licensed under a
were going to do anyway. They saw it and they learned that Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which
it wasn’t the thing that they wanted to do. There’s nothing permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction
wrong with that. That’s a fantastic experience, you’re going in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate
to take that learning wherever you go. So much of this really credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to
is personal; it is about finding what lights you up, because the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were
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badly that they’re willing to learn by/4.0/.
new things, talk to people that know
Legislation cited
things that they don’t know, and work
(1) Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and
across boundaries. If you have those Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and
characteristics, then you can really Secure American Bioeconomy. (2022).
(2) Global Change Research Act of 1990. (1990).
make a big contribution."
References
SPR: Are there any parting words that you would like
to share? [1] Office of Science and Technology Policy (2023). Online: https:
//www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/.
AP: Well, maybe I’ll just end on a personal note. President [2] Cancer Moonshot (2022). Online: https:https://www.
Biden loves to tell the story about America being defined in a whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot/.
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