Announcement of the 2011-2012 Jefferson Science Fellows

The 2011-2012 Jefferson Science Fellows is the eigth group of Fellows selected since the Jefferson program was established in 2003 as an initiative of the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State to further build capacity for science, technology and engineering expertise within the U.S. Department of State.

The Fellowship program is based on the premise that science and technology make fundamental contributions to the security, economic, health, and cultural foundations of modern societies, and are integral to the development and implementation of foreign policy. It was established to create opportunities for the substantial engagement of tenured scientists and engineers from U.S. academic institutions in the work of the U.S. Department of State. Fellows serve one-year assignments working full-time in the Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), then remain available as consultants after returning to their academic careers.

From 2003 to 2008, the Jefferson Science Fellows program was funded by generous grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In 2008, funding for the JSF program was institutionalized within the U.S. Department of State. The JSF program remains a partnership between the Department of State and U.S. academic institutions. The home universities continue to pay the salary and benefits of their respective faculty members during their service as Fellows, while the Department of State funds local living expenses and program related travel. The Jefferson Science Fellows program is administered on behalf of the U.S. Department of State by the Fellowships Office of the National Academies.

The 2011-2012 Jefferson Science Fellows are: 

Norma Allewell, Univeristy of Maryland

Robert Balster, Virginia Commonwealth Univeristy

Peter Davies, Cornell University

Mark Eberhart, Colorado School of Mines

Nwadiuto Esiobu, Florida Atlantic University

Bradley Fenwick, University of Tennessee 

Devinder Mahajan, Stony Brook University

Richard Marston, Kansas State University

Alan McHughen, University of California, Riverside

Timothy O'Brien, Loyola University Chicago

Max Rothschild, Iowa State University 

Darin Toohey, Univeristy of Colorado, Boulder

Curtis Weller, University of Nebraska, Lincoln