Director, SciLine, AAAS

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Director, SciLine

ABOUT SCILINE 

SciLine is an editorially independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit service for journalists and scientists. Our goal is to help get more science into news stories. We work with thousands of reporters across all 50 states, connecting them quickly to scientist-sources and validated evidence. And we work with scientists to help them share their insights through the media and help give voice to the facts. Our work is fully funded by philanthropies, and everything we do is free.

SciLine is a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of all people. To learn more, please visit SciLine's website.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This position has ultimate programmatic responsibility for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of SciLine, a AAAS priority initiative that combines the influential power of the news media and the analytical power of science and scientists to serve society and the public good.

SciLine is a six-year-old, philanthropically supported, editorially independent, free service for journalists and scientists. Its primary goal is to make it as easy as possible for U.S. reporters—especially those working at local news outlets—to include scientist sources and validated scientific evidence in their news stories. SciLine’s ultimate mission is to help news consumers make evidence-informed decisions in their lives—whether those decisions are personal, such as about their health, or larger scale, such as which policies or societal strategies to support.

In the years since its 2017 inception, SciLine has built strong and trusting relationships with thousands of U.S. journalists and scientists across all 50 states, gaining broad respect for its unique role in the escalating battle against misinformation and “truth decay”. The operation maintains a busy, newsroom-like pace, and the new Director will have the opportunity to build on its well-established foundation and the freedom to innovate with new tools (such as AI) and creative strategies to ensure ongoing mission efficacy in today’s fast-changing media landscape.

SciLine accomplishes its mission and goals through several free services for reporters and scientists. Its flagship Expert Matching service, for example—which operates 12 hours a day, five days a week—responds rapidly to requests from reporters to be connected to scientist sources on deadline. Its Experts on Camera service schedules scientist availabilities for broadcast-quality, one-on-one media interviews. SciLine’s periodic on-the-record Media Briefings feature scientists with expertise in topics in the news, with opportunities for live reporter Q&A. And SciLine develops and leads remote and in-person trainings—to help journalists understand how to report skillfully on scientific topics, and to help scientists understand the U.S. media ecosystem and interact with it effectively to give voice to the facts.

A priority of SciLine is to diversify the voices and backgrounds of scientists who are seen and heard in the news, and to assist reporters whose news outlets particularly serve underrepresented and underserved populations.

Towards the fulfillment of SciLine’s mission, the SciLine Director oversees a highly skilled, highly motivated 14-person staff comprising former journalists and science communicators; Master’s- and PhD-level scientists who have specialized in science communication; and journalistically savvy technical, marketing, and operational support personnel.  The Director also works closely with senior AAAS leadership to ensure seamless integration with the nonprofit’s overarching mission and collaborates especially closely with AAAS’s philanthropy team to ensure SciLine’s near- and long-term fiscal sustainability.  

CONTACT

Liz Lombard and Angie Sessoms of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role please fill out our Talent Profile or email Angie directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

ABOUT KOYA PARTNERS 

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.  

Learn more about how we can help you with your search on the Koya Partners website.