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BRET Career Development ASPIRE Program

Applying for AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Roundtable Discussion

Posted by on Friday, April 26, 2019 in Upcoming BRET Office of Career Development Events .

Are you interested in a career in science policy? Have you thought about applying for the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program? Join us for this informative roundtable discussion with Shilpy Dixit, Teddy van Opstal, and Phil Ko, PhD, who have all been through the process of applying and interviewing  for this prestigious program. Bring your questions and your lunch! Cookies will be provided.

Co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Science Policy Group

Registration is requested

Shilpy Dixit is a 2019-2020 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, who secured a position with the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research at NHLBI. Shilpy completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, where her research primarily focused on the detrimental effect of vitamin C deficiency in aging and neurodegeneration. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Dept of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Shilpy investigated the mechanistic relationship between astrocytic glutamate clearance and vitamin C release into the synapse, and how disruptions in this process contribute to seizure disorders. At the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research, Shilpy will use her scientific background to promote the importance of sleep research across the different institutes and centers of the NIH and work with different HHS agencies to make sleep hygiene part of the national conversation.

Teddy van Opstal is a 2019-2020 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, who secured a position with the Department of Defense as a Biotechnology Fellow. Teddy completed his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University last September, where his research primarily focused on the host-associated microbial structuring and maternal transmission of Wolbachia. He is continuing his work at a Postdoctoral fellow in the same lab. At the Department of Defense, Teddy will inventory the DoD’s biotechnology research portfolio as part of their modernization initiative that will help to prioritize DoD research for the next 10 years.

Phil Ko has a PhD in psychology from Vanderbilt University, and was a postdoc at VUMC’s Department of Neurology from 2011-2016. Phil’s research examined visual memory and how its neural correlates changes with age and dementia. He has also held teaching positions at Vanderbilt and Austin Peay State University.
After a few years as a full-time dad, Phil will join the 2019-2020 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, placement TBD. As a fellow, he will be developing science communication and outreach skills.

 

Moderator: Amirta Banjeree, PhD, of the Vanderbilt Science Policy Group
Amrita Banerjee is a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology where she studies microbiome-host crosstalk in the intestinal tract. She is the president of the Vanderbilt Science Policy Group (VSPG) and co-Director of the Southern Hub of the National Science Policy Network. She is passionate about increasing VSPG’s involvement in the Tennessee science policy community and, in this regard, has spearheaded collaborations with Life Science Tennessee, the American Lung Association, and other community partners. Amrita earned a B.S. in Biology from Duke University and hopes to build a career in science policy and diplomacy.”

 

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