Leila Duman
Leila Duman is the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) 2019-2021 Science Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C. An organometallic chemist by training, Leila holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Maryland and a BA in chemistry from Bard College. At ACS, Leila tracks chemistry issues across the government and works to advance the use of science in making policy decisions. Having worked extensively in chemistry education (serving as a Department of Education GAANN Fellow as a graduate student) and scientific outreach (leading the Bard Science Outreach program as an undergraduate), she is dedicated to fostering engagement between scientists and the public through initiatives to advance scientific literacy, communication, and advocacy.
Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field?
Ending up as a scientist, let alone one working in policy, was never a forgone conclusion for me. I spent my childhood studying the performing arts and didn’t realize how important science is to me until, at my small liberal arts college, I took a general chemistry course in my first semester. To my surprise, it captured my interest completely. I suddenly found myself mulling over the question of “how is science relevant to my life?” and I was fortunate to have the chance to make a personal connection by joining a chemistry research lab at the end of my first year. I quickly became deeply involved with Bard’s strong Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), especially in doing outreach work to help local students connect with science as I had recently had the experience of doing myself. I chose to go on to graduate school because I wanted to keep developing my technical skills and expand the boundaries of knowledge within my field. However, I also realized that what I cared about even more than generating new scientific knowledge was how we use that knowledge to make people’s lives better. I now found myself asking the same question that got me into science, reframed writ large as: “how is science relevant to our society?”. The answer to that question, for me, is science policy.
How did you find this particular position, and what was the hiring process like? Is there a typical structure for this in your field?
As I was wrapping up my PhD, I asked numerous science policy professionals for informational interviews so that I could get a sense of what my options were. I heard repeatedly that while there are many on-ramps into policy, one tried-and-true way to make the transition is through a science policy fellowship. These are short term training experiences that are designed for scientists and engineers, usually (though not always) with a Ph.D., to learn the ropes of the policy world while lending their technical expertise to benefit policymakers. Science policy fellowships are offered through the government, at non-profits, and at think tanks, and the responsibilities are as varied as the S&T issues they train fellows to address. I applied and interviewed for several different fellowships, and when I was offered the chance to work at ACS (the same professional society that had been so integral to my own development as a chemist and educator!) I jumped at the chance to stay involved with the chemistry community while beginning to move into the policy realm.
Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?
I work as a part of the Government Affairs team, which is a part of External Affairs and Communications under the ACS Office of the Secretary and General Counsel. I view my fellowship as having three main goals: 1) provide technical support to my office, 2) track where chemistry is, or should be, being considered in government policies, and 3) engage with ACS members and the public on advocacy issues. On a daily basis, this can mean anything from writing a memo or fact checking a video, attending congressional briefings or advisory meetings or policy conferences, giving presentations on how to talk to your legislators, to providing staff support to ACS committee members. Though some projects run for weeks or months, most of what I work on tends to be much shorter term than the projects I managed as a research scientist because in policy, priorities often shift rapidly based on the federal, legislative, or public response to current events. This job has taught me how to reprioritize information, distill technical language to fit an audience with non-technical expertise, and to appreciate the different forces that drive how D.C. functions on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. I wake up every day excited for my job because I get to learn new things, work with savvy people, and contribute towards positive outcomes (for chemists, scientists, and society) at the same time.
Do you have any professional plans for the future? What are some future career paths that could open up for someone in your position, 5-10 years down the road?
Part of my reason for taking this fellowship was to give me time to explore in the field of science policy before choosing a longer-term position. As much as I’ve learned so far, I’m grateful that I have another year in this fellowship to continue exploring the science policy sphere. Other fellows’ careers have run the gamut from returning to academics and benchwork with a better appreciation for how policy informs the practice of science, directly applying their new connections and knowledge by working for policy think tanks or government contractors, serving as staff in congressional offices or executive agencies, to heading up policy departments in tech companies or research centers. Personally, I would be surprised if my career doesn’t eventually lead me to the government and civil service (note, however, that this could just be the influence of watching The West Wing on repeat for the last 10 years). There will always be a need for scientific input for policy, and I can’t think of a more rewarding career than using science to inform solutions for real-world problems.
Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?
A PhD isn’t essential for a career in science policy, but it’s a useful credential to have and it opens many options as long as you frame yourself as a “problem solver and analytical thinker” rather than a niche expert in your research field.
Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions? Is there anything you would have done differently given what you know now?
Thinking of what grad students can do to be prepared to break into science policy, I’ll share the best advice I received as a grad student which came from a science communication workshop: “if you want to prove that you can do science communication, you have to communicate science”. This relationship seems self-evident, but hearing it really made me think about whether I was spending enough effort pursuing activities that would develop and demonstrate the skills I would need for a career outside the lab. Instead of waiting for a “real” policy opportunity to fall into my lap, I started searching out involvement that would build my skill sets and demonstrate my commitment to science communication, education, and advocacy. When I applied to science policy fellowships, I didn’t have formal science policy experience, but what I did have was a resume filled with scientific and ad hoc policy experiences (student government, teaching science literacy courses, coordinating outreach events, professional association volunteering, and attending science policy and communication conferences and workshops, to name a few) that made me competitive and gave me a foundation on which to build more practical experience. So, if you want to get a better sense of if a career like science policy is right for you, and develop the skills you’ll need to be successful in it, don’t wait for an invitation – start doing it!
