On-Call Scientific Outreach Support Specialist

AAAS•Washington, DC

7d•Remote

About The Position

SciLine, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is seeking a remote, On-call Scientific Outreach Support Specialist. This part-time role contributes to connecting journalists with scientific expertise on deadline. The specialist will fill capacity gaps by researching, identifying, vetting, and recruiting scientific experts for SciLine’s Expert Matching service, often on same-day deadlines. The ideal candidate possesses a strong understanding of scientific principles and current research trends, excellent research, data analysis, and time management skills, and the ability to communicate effectively and quickly with scientists. This is an on-call, part-time position for up to 17 hours per week, with a focus on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, though exact hours are negotiable. This role may appeal to freelancers or individuals with advanced science degrees interested in science communication, journalism, public relations, or non-academic careers.

Requirements

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a scientific discipline
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent research skills and commitment to scientific rigor
Ability to build trusting relationships with scientists, research institutions, and scientific organizations
Ability to read, digest, and quickly extract meaning from scientific and technical papers across a wide range of scientific domains
Ability to identify and assess scientific communications skills using a diverse range of potential resources
Ability to work quickly on short deadlines
Ability to work independently, but appreciative of collaborative inputs
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion across the scientific and journalistic enterprises
Sensitivity to social and ethical issues relevant to science, science communication, and journalism
Appreciation for SciLine’s overarching mission of enhancing journalism with scientific expertise and context and leveraging journalism in support of evidence-based decision-making.
Job candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to a state where AAAS has a business presence.

Nice To Haves

Fluency in Spanish

Responsibilities

Identify scientific experts from SciLine’s internal database or other sources, and vet their scientific expertise and communication skills for possible referral to journalists.
Reach out to scientific experts to recruit them to participate in interviews with same-day deadlines.
Add to SciLine’s database of experts.