Projects

Led multiple projects focused on empowering universities, non-profits, and scientific societies to build the STEM workforce through policy change across the science, technology and innovation ecosystem. Several efforts included UC trainees, and Hill meetings with CA offices and House Science democratic staff.

FOCUS ON RESEARCH POLICY 

• Includes government relations projects and Congressional engagement efforts, developing and leading early career training programs, conducting landscape analysis, and publishing policy research.
• Led Hill meetings for several organizations, facilitating Congressional engagement for academic scientists in support of federal investments in research, STEM education and workforce development.
• Developed and co-led policy and advocacy training programs for multiple universities, including teaching practical skills and concepts, conducting Hill meetings, and serving as an advisor.
• Spearheaded policy entrepreneurship to assist the federal government in fostering innovation and U.S. competitiveness, and developed online platforms/tools to facilitate societal impacts of research.
• Selected for projects focused on examining the STEM doctoral workforce and their innovation outputs, and designing the future substance of STEM education to prepare a diverse STEM workforce.
• Gave educational talks and workshops on policy and advocacy for graduate students and postdocs, as well as reviewed and judged STEM fellowship proposals and symposia for scientific events.

UNIVERSITY PROJECTS

• Universities Research Association: Co-developed inaugural SPARC Program for graduate students in STEM, including training and advocacy with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and House Science Committee.

• UC Irvine: Co-designed inaugural Science Policy and Advocacy Certificate Program for STEM Scientists for UC Irvine’s GPS-STEM Program, with trainees from several UC campuses including UC Irvine.

• Future Substance of STEM Education: Co-designed ASU Science in Society Certificate Program concept, and ARIS science policy job sim & padlet toolkit with UC Irvine ed & workforce professional based on curriculum.

NATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

• FAS: Worked on inaugural research project and report advancing policy entrepreneurship to assist the federal government in fostering innovation and competitiveness, including researchers from several UC campuses.

• Sigma Xi: Contributed to examining online science policy engagement, and assisted with policy pitches on enhancing university research innovation and commercialization.

• CNSF: Part of working group, worked on developing one pager, slides and language for NSF impacts on the workforce, including DEI and commercialization to support CNSF mission.

CONGRESSIONAL PROJECTS

• U.S. House of Representatives: Provided feedback on House Science Committee legislation supporting graduate students and postdocs, and NSF-funded research training.

TESTIMONIALS

“I highly recommend Adriana for their exceptional dedication, professionalism, and collaborative spirit. With their strong work ethic and positive attitude, Adriana was able to deliver insightful results for our growing organization. I appreciated her proactive and collaborative approach to work!” – Irene Ngun, Associate Director of Science Policy, Federation of American Scientists.

“Adriana Bankston is an exceptional science policy expert, demonstrating unparalleled professionalism and reliability. Her ability to lead projects while building stakeholder networks is commendable, consistently delivering results that surpass expectations. Her collaborative spirit enriches every endeavor, making her an invaluable asset to any team. These skills were critical to the successful completion of a project for my organization.” – Jamie L. Vernon, Executive Director and CEO of Sigma Xi, and Publisher of American Scientist.