Scientific Discovery Emerging Scholars

Job Details

Job Location:

ARLINGTON, VA 22201
Position Type:
Full Time
Salary: $80,000 - $100,000 annually

Applications are now being accepted for two Future of Scientific Discovery Emerging Scholar positions at the Mercatus Center. These full‑time, one‑year positions are based in Arlington, Virginia and run from September 8, 2026, through September 8, 2027. Scholars will join the Emerging Scholars Program, working alongside the broader cohort and focusing on science, scientific institutions, and technological change.

The Emerging Scholars Program is designed to identify rising classical liberal thinkers and help them become stronger public communicators and contributors to major policy and cultural debates. For this track, Mercatus seeks candidates who can examine the future of scientific discovery through the lens of institutional design, incentives, governance, and human flourishing. Possible areas of focus include AI and emerging technology policy, science funding structures, regulatory design, innovation ecosystems, and discipline‑specific scientific domains.

• Develop a substantial research project and produce regular public‑facing writing or multimedia content throughout the year.
• Participate in a weekly work‑in‑progress seminar, a policy discussion group, and regular one‑on‑one meetings with program leadership.
• Complete an intensive ten‑week communications training sequence covering writing, branding, public speaking, media skills, podcasting, design, and related forms of public communication.
• Engage with mentors, program participants, and research working groups relevant to your interests.

This position is designed for candidates with real subject‑matter depth. Mercatus expects scholars to arrive with substantial expertise in the area they plan to study, along with the background needed to speak credibly to technical and policy audiences. The program will deepen and amplify that expertise through mentorship, critique, and public engagement.

Candidates should be prepared to pursue a research agenda connected to one or more of the following themes:

• The institutions and norms around science research, including funding, regulatory, and incentive structures.
• The effects and implications of AI and emerging tools on research in the sciences (biological and physical).
• Communicate new scientific frontiers opened by new discoveries, instruments and frameworks.
• Explore questions relating to the moral and civic implications of accelerating discovery for individuals and for society.

Please submit your cover letter and resume through our online application process at Mercatus Center Careers. Your cover letter must indicate your interest in the Mercatus Center's mission.

Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. In addition, Mercatus provides full health and dental coverage, unlimited paid time off, long‑term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, parking/travel benefits, and twelve free credits per year at George Mason University.

The Mercatus Center is an equal employment opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Mercatus Center participates in E‑Verify. Upon hire, Mercatus will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.