Melanie Roberts

Melanie Roberts is a science, technology, and innovation policy expert focused on increasing the value of science for society and civic engagement of scientists. Prior to joining the Academy in 2024, she was a senior advisor and director of state and regional affairs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Her previous experience includes and co-founding and directing a non-profit leadership and civic engagement program with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); directing strategic bioscience partnerships at the University of Colorado; and informing national science and technology policy as a fellow in the U.S. Senate and the National Science Foundation. Melanie has served on numerous advisory committees and boards including the Committee on Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century at the National Academy of Sciences, chair of the AAAS Section on Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering, and the advisory board at the William D. Ruckelshaus Center. She is an honorary fellow of the AAAS and a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow, Puget Sound. She completed a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Washington and a postdoctoral fellowship in science and innovation policy at the University of Colorado Boulder.