Adriana Bankston works on building the next generation STEM workforce through policy research, training, mentoring, skill building and advocacy.
Since leaving the bench, Adriana has engaged in policy change to improve the future of science as Co-vice Chair of the NPA Advocacy Committee Policy, Education and Advocacy Writing Team, Associate Member of the ASCB Public Policy Committee, and Co-Director of the Policy Taskforce at Future of Research. She was previously a Society for Neuroscience Policy & Advocacy Fellow, and a Principal Legislative Analyst with the University of California Office of Federal Governmental Relations. Currently, Adriana is a Senior Fellow in Civic Science & Public Policy with Sigma Xi.
Notably, Adriana has participated in training the next generation of scientists in science policy and advocacy. While at the University of California, she led the UC FGR Legislative Internship Program. In addition, she designed a Scientific Solutions for Society Certificate Program in ASU’s Future Substance of STEM Education project, and the Science Policy and Advocacy Certificate Program for STEM Scientists for UC Irvine’s GPS-STEM Program. She is currently a Biomedical Workforce & Policy Research Investigator at the STEM Advocacy Institute, and a Fellow with Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), working on cultivating the next generation workforce through science policy.
For the past few years, Adriana has held several leadership and consulting roles in science policy. She is CEO & Managing Publisher of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, and part of the AAAS Section X Steering Group. Recently, Adriana founded Bankston Policy Consulting LLC, focused on building the next generation of leaders in science policy, with an emphasis on students and early career researchers.
Additionally, Adriana has provided mentoring, advising and career input for early career researchers such as the AAAS Annual Meeting and the ASBMB Advocacy Training Program, contributed to educational resources including establishing the KAS Excellence in Science Education & Outreach Award, and engaged in peer review activities in science policy through Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics Journal, Research Policy and Strategic Management Specialty Section.
As a result, Adriana’s work in science policy and advocacy has appeared in writing in several outlets such as Issues in Science & Technology, Inside Higher Ed and the Union of Concerned Scientists Blog. She has given numerous national and international talks and workshops on science policy and advocacy, including at the British Embassy, UNESCO, NASEM and AAAS CASE. She has been part of several oral and written interviews on science policy topics, such as for the SAPEA and When Science Speaks podcasts, and the ESEP Newsletter.
Over the years, Adriana received numerous science policy and advocacy honors and awards, including the inaugural ARIS Emerging Broader Impacts Leader Award, and the Top 20 in 2022 Award For Excellence in Advocacy from The Advocacy Association.
Adriana earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University. Connect with Adriana on Twitter and LinkedIn.