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Since the STEM Policy Fellowship Program began in 2020, talented North Carolina graduates have been serving in state offices, gaining valuable insights and experience that have prepared them for key roles in industry and government.

Thanks to a generous matching grant from the Burroughs Wellcome fund and partnerships with high-level state government offices, North Carolina Sea Grant’s stem policy fellowship program has helped guide the next generation of leaders in our state.

John Fear, North Carolina Sea Grant’s deputy director, says the program provides a vital bridge between science and policy within state government. “These fellowships retain the talent being produced by our higher education institutions for the benefit of our state.”

Through NC STEM Policy Fellowships, recently graduated master’s and doctoral students from North Carolina colleges and universities serve full-time for a year, focusing on topics related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“The program continues to provide significant impacts for current and past fellows, including networking and employment opportunities,” says Susan White, North Carolina Sea Grant’s executive director. “Working alongside state policy leaders, fellows meaningfully contribute to their host offices’ missions and establish themselves as growing experts.”

In addition to a competitive stipend and a year of skill-building service, each fellowship also includes travel support and a professional development workshop.

Here, Megan Damico and Maya Hoon tell how their fellowships have helped launch their careers.

Megan Damico is associate director on the Focused Initiatives Team at NCBiotech, a state-funded non-profit dedicated to advancing life sciences across North Carolina. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and she served with NCBiotech for her NC STEM Policy Fellowship.

How did your STEM Policy Fellowship prepare you for work in your field?

My STEM Policy Fellowship gave me a foundation of experience to help me get my job at NCBiotech. I saw firsthand how federal policy, grants/funding, and workforce and economic development merge together to fuel the work that NCBiotech does, and my work as a STEM policy fellow helped make me a well-rounded candidate for my current role.

What made you proudest of your service as a STEM Fellow?

Two things come to mind: 1) seeing my foundational research on the bioeconomy be used to help steer where NCBiotech focuses some of our energy next (areas like biomaterials, bio-based chemicals, alternative proteins, etc.), and 2) being able to use my scientific and leadership skills to support grant projects with NCBiotech.

One of the most interesting parts of my service as a STEM Fellow was the opportunity to travel to conferences with NCBiotech — especially SynBioBeta 2024, the synthetic biology conference in San Jose. Being in that environment allowed me to connect with stakeholders from across the spectrum of biotechnology: government, industry, nonprofits, startups, and long-time leaders in biotechnology. I loved getting to be a sponge, absorbing insights from so many different perspectives and bringing that knowledge back to inform my own ideas for strengthening North Carolina’s biotech ecosystem.

Through my time at NCBiotech, I gained a new appreciation for the many ways science can drive economic and societal impact. I was able to use both my scientific background and my communication skills, while also learning from coworkers whose paths looked a lot like mine. Sharing those lessons with grad school friends, undergrads, and anyone considering a transition into biotech has been incredibly fulfilling. For the first time, I felt like I’d found where I truly fit in the scientific world.

I currently serve as the associate director on the Focused Initiatives Team at NCBiotech. Our team functions as NCBiotech’s special projects group. We are the team that helps build public-private partnerships to advance North Carolina’s life sciences ecosystem and to keep the state on the national and global stage as a leader in biotechnology. Our team convenes diverse coalitions across the ecosystem to pursue funding opportunities, supports federal engagement with NC’s Congressional leaders, and scans the horizon to identify challenges facing our ecosystem and uncover opportunities to strengthen existing biotech sectors or grow emerging ones.

In my role at NCBiotech, I lead bioeconomy strategic development, work that has become one of my proudest accomplishments. I always wanted a birds-eye view of science and to connect the dots to help grow  life sciences, so the work I do with the Focused Initiatives Team is truly hitting on an academic dream that I’ve wanted to build for a long time. Using my policy and scientific expertise to shape a strategic framework that can guide how NCBiotech supports the growth of NC’s bioeconomy has been a natural extension of work as a STEM Policy Fellow.

In addition to this strategic work, I support federal engagement efforts for NCBiotech. This includes connecting with congressional offices, federal agency staff, and other national stakeholders to understand upcoming funding opportunities and priority areas where NCBiotech can play a meaningful role. Being able to connect these insights back to North Carolina’s biotech ecosystem, and help position our state for future success, has been incredibly rewarding.

What has been the most interesting part of your current role?

Becoming a true subject matter expert on the bioeconomy and ecosystem development. That is super cool and a point of pride. I’ve been invited to speak at conferences about my bioeconomy work and the amazing work that NCBiotech does to support the NC biotech ecosystem.

In my job, I get to scope out new opportunities in areas that were not my Ph.D. research focus and find out how to help those sectors grow. An area I’m particularly excited to work in more is the growing advanced textiles industry where biology and textile manufacturing come together.

Maya Hoon is the PFAS data analyst for the Public Water Supply section of NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources. She graduated with her master’s in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was also a joint fellow with North Carolina Sea Grant and NC Space Grant. She served with North Carolina’s Department of Transportation for her NC STEM Policy Fellowship.

How did your STEM Policy Fellowship prepare you for work in your field?

Although I was with the NCDOT, the fellowship helped me become familiar with the different in-state agencies, how they interact, and furthermore, the different intricate layers of policy development. I feel I have a better understanding of science communication and how science-backed research is integrated into the different layers of  policy development.

I’m proud I was able to support and contribute to meaningful statewide efforts that could sustainably enhance the lives of others in my home state of North Carolina. Ultimately, I’m proud to have started my journey into public service through this program, and I’m proud that I can continue serving the public today as a scientist.

I’m deeply grateful and appreciative that programs like the STEM Policy Fellowships exist and open avenues for immersive, educational, and hands-on work for all kinds of STEM graduates of different backgrounds, so that state government work and the entryways into state government are not so nebulous.

During my time as a STEM Policy Fellow, I would travel throughout the state fairly often to engage with communities and gather feedback from communities on policies that were in development at the time. It was very eye-opening to learn about the different levels of enthusiasm and concerns in different parts of the state and was helpful for me to understand the different infrastructural needs and economic levels of particular areas of North Carolina.

Learning more about the state I call home and engaging more with low-resource communities —  learning about their stories, concerns, and priorities — was an invaluable education experience that continues to motivate me to do the work I do today.

What has been the most interesting part of your current role?

I am a PFAS data analyst with the Public Water Supply section of NCDEQ’s Division of Water Resources. While I’m still new to this position, I have felt invigorated and proud to be in it, because I feel I am able to apply my environmental toxicology and public health background, my research skills, and statistical and coding skills to pursue meaningful work in protecting public health, ensuring safe drinking water for the public.

So far, I’ve found it quite cool to see how my  different educational, research, and professional experiences have benefited me in understanding different public policies, rules and regulations, and the scientific work required for my current position. It is fulfilling to apply my skills to support meaningful work that will benefit the public.

more on NC STEM Policy Fellowships

more on North Carolina Sea Grant and NC Space Grant joint fellowships