Catching Up with AMS Congressional Fellows

Since 2005, the American Mathematical Society has sponsored 19 mathematicians to work in Congress through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowships program.⁠¹

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http://fellowships.aaas.org/index.shtml

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Of these 19 Fellows, 13 served in the offices of US senators from around the country. Other Fellows worked for members of the House of Representatives, for the House Science Committee, and the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. All were embedded in governmental operations.

AMS Congressional Fellows—most of whom enter the fellowship from academia—lend expertise to legislators as they develop policies, explained Karen Saxe, AMS associate executive director and director of government relations.

“Fellows learn how mathematics and mathematical thinking can help make change at the federal level,” said Saxe, a former AMS Congressional Fellow herself. “They take away improved communications skills and a new view of our government that can help them move to careers in government or industry.” Fellows who returned to academia found that the knowledge and skills helped them be a strong department or campus leader.

“The experience is a win for the individual Fellow, a win for the math community, and a win for the government,” Saxe said.

Some AMS Congressional Fellows were so captivated by their year in Washington that they continued their employment at the intersection of mathematics and government.

“At its heart, mathematics is about problems solving, and right now, government is working on solutions to some of the biggest problems in generations,” said A.J. Stewart, the 2021–2022 AMS Congressional Fellow. “These are not clear-cut problems that have an easy solution, so having the ability to anticipate causal relations and find novel approaches is vital.”

When he decided to apply for the AMS Congressional Fellowship, Stewart was a mathematics instructor at Seattle University, teaching undergraduate courses on financial and consumer mathematics and mathematical reasoning plus graduate courses on data science and discrete math for data analytics. While teaching, he developed a taste for policymaking through the university’s academic assembly, which revised its voting system with Stewart’s help.

Stewart served his AMS Fellowship in the office of Sen. Raphael Warnock (GA). With two other staffers, he covered the economic portfolio: housing, tax, trade, and financial services. “My role as a mathematician was always valued in whatever project I was working on, and I was allowed to apply my skills as I saw fit the situation best,” he said.

After a year of working for Warnock, Stewart chose to apply for a second governmental fellowship; he currently is an AAAS Executive Branch Fellow working at the US Department of Treasury in the Office of Investment Security. (“My response is in a personal capacity and does not represent the views of AAAS, US Treasury, the office of Sen. Raphael Warnock, or any portion of the US Government,” he noted.)

“During both my Congressional Fellowship in the Warnock office and my current fellowship at Treasury, I have learned that a lot of the skills that are developed in mathematics are applicable within government,” Stewart said. His work at Treasury is related to the department’s role as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews the national security implications of foreign investments in the US.

“I was surprised that even in areas like housing or national security—which seem very removed from mathematics—I have been able to apply mathematical thinking in my position,” said Stewart, who earned his PhD from the University of Oregon with a dissertation on algebraic geometry.

Mathematicians bring a distinct set of skills and insights to the process of government. “The legislative rhythm is fast and often unpredictable, requiring things like navigating knowledge gaps effectively and efficiently, synthesizing large quantities of information quickly, and learning by doing,” said Lucia D. Simonelli, 2019–2020 Fellow, who earned her PhD from the University of Maryland working predominantly in dynamical systems. “One of the skills I used the most is the capacity to be comfortable and productive while in a constant state of learning.”

Simonelli’s fellowship year in the office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) focused on climate policy areas such as energy, carbon removal, and carbon pricing. This experience prepared her for her current position as a senior climate researcher at Giving Green, a guide that assists individuals and businesses with decisions about climate-oriented donations.

“I was fortunate to have a mentor who ensured that I experience as many aspects of legislative work as possible,” said Simonelli, who wrote speeches, drafted legislation, met with constituents, staffed hearings, organized briefings, and even appeared on C-SPAN.

“Plunging into the policy world was a great adventure and every day I was faced with things I didn’t know,” she said, crediting the preparation of her mathematical training. “Mathematics influenced my approach to policy in a subtle but powerful way: Mathematics taught me humility.

“Being a mathematician has taught me to understand when I really know something, and of equal importance, when I don’t.”

In turn, the work of government has lessons to impart to mathematicians, Simonelli said. “The experience taught me the power and importance of creating a strong network—not for self-gain, but more as a collective that can work together in various ways to support the advancement of common goals and causes.

“The positive power of networking is something that I have continued to apply both personally and professionally. This comes in many forms, including the comfort to ask for help, the capacity to offer help, and the privilege of being at most one degree of separation from someone who certainly knows the answer.”

In his 2018–2019 fellowship with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), James Ricci drafted legislation and much more, working on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions legislative team and the Commerce team in the senator’s office. Focusing on education, data privacy, and science policy, he learned how to work under tight deadlines, and how to know “when something is good enough even if it is not perfect. As a mathematician and academic, it is hard to put out something you think might not be completely accurate or isn’t as well researched as you would like,” he said. “Many circumstances don’t afford the time needed to vet everything, though, and some uncertainty is better than not providing any information at all.”

Ricci, a number theorist with a PhD from Wesleyan University, found his fellowship to be life-changing. “I thought I was going to be a professor for the rest of my career, but this position opened up several new career paths for me and showed me how I could impact mathematical and scientific research in ways that I had never considered before,” he said.

Ricci stepped down from a tenure-track position to move into private philanthropy and science funding as a director at Schmidt Futures in New York, which he calls “an extremely hard decision.” And he too has used his fellowship skills on the job.

“I have found myself much more ready and confident to jump into new experiences,” Ricci said. “I can speak more knowledgably about a much broader array of topics, and can navigate talking to a wide variety of stakeholders or present to different audiences at varying levels of technical sophistication. This combines my research background, teaching experience, and knowledge and skills from my fellowship experience,” he said.

“Personally, I am also much more attuned to the political process in my everyday life than I was before,” Ricci adds. “I get my news from different sources and can read into subtexts, posturing, or indications of real progress that I never was able to before.

“Being more attuned and knowledgeable about this also helps me be a better advocate for the issues I care about.”