U of A Alumna Named Science & Technology Fellow at State Department

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Courtney Hill

The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently named University of Arkansas alumna Courtney Hill a Science & Technology Policy Fellow. During her year-long fellowship, Hill will help inform actionable, science-based policies for the U.S. Department of State. 

Hill currently works as a program officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. An honors graduate of the College of Engineering, Hill majored in civil engineering with a sustainability minor.  

She previously served as a Fulbright English teaching assistant and completed doctoral studies as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She is one of 300 highly trained scientists and engineers to be selected as the 50th class of AAAS policy fellows.

As a fellow, Hill will gain first-hand experience regarding federal policymaking and implementation, while contributing her expertise to the work of the U.S. Department of State.

“Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with scientists from around the world. Seeing the impacts of these collaborations instilled in me the importance of science in multilateral affairs,” Hill said. “This fellowship will allow me to work in the heart of science diplomacy and gain an invaluable network of other fellows with STEM backgrounds interested in policy."

“AAA policy fellows have been demonstrating excellence in science policy for the past half-century – defining what it means to be a scientist and engineer in the policymaking realm,” said Rashada Alexander, director of the Science & Technology Policy Fellow Program and alumna fellow. “In our 50th year of partnership with U.S. government and many esteemed scientific societies and supporters, we are excited to usher in the newest class and follow their important contributions to policy, science and society.”

In addition to her professional duties, Hill serves as a visiting adviser for the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at the U of A, where she supports the office’s work with high-achieving students applying to prestigious awards in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

“Dr. Hill has done a tremendous job for our office,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and nationally competitive awards. “As a visiting adviser, she has mentored students on the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship as well as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. U of A students are lucky to benefit from her expertise. We are very proud of her many accomplishments, which now include being selected as an AAAS policy fellow. She is very deserving of this national recognition.”

The Science & Technology Policy Fellow Program supports evidence-based policymaking by leveraging the knowledge and analytical mindset of science and engineering experts, and trains leaders for a strong U.S. science and technology enterprise. Fellows represent a full spectrum of disciplines, backgrounds and career stages.

The 2022-23 fellowship class is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Moore Foundation and partner societies. Of the 300 fellows chosen, 31 will serve in Congress, one will serve at the Federal Judicial Center and 268 will serve in the executive branch among 19 federal agencies or departments. 

After the fellowship, many remain in the policy arena working at the federal, state, regional or international level, while others pursue careers in academia, industry or the nonprofit sector.

Founded in 1973, the STPF program will turn 50 in 2023. AAAS will celebrate this milestone as STPF establishes a formal alumni network — about 4,000 strong — to stimulate and support collaboration among alumni fellows to further the STPF mission to connect evidence-based decision-making with public policy. 

Visit www.aaas.org/stpf to learn more about the AAAS S&T Policy Fellowships.

About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. For additional information about AAAS, please visit www.aaas.org.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.