Program Scientist, Polymaths

About the Science Systems Center
Science Systems strengthens the technical and academic systems underlying scientific discovery through the support of people, tools, and technology. Its programs remove specific barriers researchers face, from crossing disciplines at critical career stages to accessing high-quality software and using AI effectively, and increasingly work to scale the practices and institutional models that help ambitious research thrive. The Center's portfolio includes the Schmidt Science Fellows, Schmidt Science Polymaths, the AI in Science Fellowship, the Virtual Institute for Scientific Software, Science Communications, and the Israeli Women's Postdoctoral Award.
About the Polymaths Program
Schmidt Science Polymaths supports recently tenured researchers moving into substantively new lines of inquiry. Each Polymath receives $500,000 per year for up to five years, paid through their institution. The award is deliberately flexible, giving researchers room for high-risk, curiosity-driven work that conventional funding rarely reaches.
The program now supports 43 Polymaths at 31 institutions across 9 nations, working in mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences, engineering, and beyond. Its ambition extends past the individual awards, to shift what the wider research ecosystem treats as possible and worth doing by recognizing and backing this kind of intellectual risk.
With its first cohort now completing their awards, the program is entering its next phase, building an alumni community and extending its influence on how the research system supports ambitious work across disciplines.
The Role
Reporting to the Director of the Science Systems Center, the Program Scientist will lead the Schmidt Science Polymaths program, including its strategy, selection process, relationships with awardees and their institutions, and growing alumni community.
Impact in this role comes from enabling other people's science. It rewards someone who can read across disciplines, judge whether a researcher is genuinely moving into new research areas, hold candid conversations with mid-career and senior academics about their own work, and build the structures that let a program of this kind demonstrate what it achieves.
This is a hands-on leadership role. The Program Scientist sets direction and also runs the work: overseeing the selection cycle and participating in it, assessing annual reports, meeting Polymaths, shaping mid-cycle and end-of-award reviews, and preparing the analysis and recommendations behind award decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

- Develop and propose adjustments and evolutions to the program's strategy and direction, in partnership with the Director of the Science Systems Center.

- Review and refine the selection process each year, including new tools and approaches.

- Develop the program’s convening and community strategy, including the cadence and agendas of convenings and opportunities for engagement across cohorts and with other Schmidt Sciences programs.

- Develop approaches for assessing Polymaths’ progress and program impact.

Program Operations and Management

- Lead the Polymaths program team, setting priorities, running regular team meetings, and coordinating work across selection, award administration, awardee engagement, and convenings.

- Set the cadence and timing of the program’s annual cycle, including selection, awardee start dates, reporting, and check-in meetings.

- Serve as the scientific lead for the annual selection cycle, including reviewing and approving nominating partners, synthesizing reviews at each stage, recommending which candidates advance and which are proposed as awardees, and presenting those recommendations internally.

Program Development and Evaluation

- Serve as the primary point of contact for Polymaths, leading regular check-ins and supporting them through the course of their awards.

- Identify and recruit external reviewers and advisors for selection, mid-cycle, and end-of-award reviews.

- Review annual reports and prepare analysis and recommendations on award continuations.

- Lead mid-cycle reviews.

- Design and lead the program’s end-of-award process, including final reviews, the transition to alumni status, and any follow-on support.

- Build continuing relationships with alumni.

External Engagement and Ecosystem Building

- Strengthen the program's external profile and engagement with the broader research community.

- Work with Polymaths’ home institutions on award arrangements and institutional support.

- Participate in relevant academic conferences and events, representing Schmidt Sciences' presence on issues related to interdisciplinary research and research careers.

Schmidt Sciences Support

- Work with other members of the Schmidt Sciences team to drive organizational priorities and model our values.

- Collaborate with other Science Systems programs, particularly Schmidt Science Fellows, on shared questions of interdisciplinary research and research careers.

- Contribute to the overall priorities of the Science Systems portfolio.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

- A PhD in science, mathematics, engineering, or a closely related field from an accredited institution.

- At least 8 years of experience following the PhD in academia, government, industry, philanthropy, or research organizations.

- Demonstrated track record of scientific accomplishments, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, patents, successful grant applications, or contributions to innovative research projects.

- Scientific breadth and the ability to evaluate research across disciplines, including judging whether a researcher is moving into substantively new areas.

- Ability to critically evaluate proposals, reports, and other opportunities.

- Experience building relationships with mid-career and senior academics, administrators, and research institutions, and the judgment to hold candid conversations about research progress.

- Strong understanding of how research universities operate, including the incentives and barriers that influence research careers.

- Experience producing writing for expert and general audiences.

- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and a record of impact in high-intensity, team-based environments.

- The highest integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality.

- Be based on-site in New York, and be able to travel within the U.S. and internationally on a regular basis as needed.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

- Interdisciplinary research experience, or a career that has itself moved between fields or institutions.

- Experience in research program management, grantmaking, or research administration.

- Experience designing or running review, evaluation, or impact-assessment processes.

- Experience with fellowship or award programs for researchers, including selection.

- Experience organizing convenings or building research communities.

This is an exempt position.

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