Learn how to create and adapt your personal “pitch” in policy settings, from happy hours to informational interviews. Your pitch tells your professional story—your background, motivations, and interests—and is a key part of effective networking.

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Outline:

(00:33) Why do you need a pitch?

(01:35) Crafting your pitch

(03:21) Example pitches

(06:23) Tips for your pitch

(10:29) Preparing for follow-up questions:

(11:08) Adapting your pitch by audience and context

(17:15) Practicing your pitch

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the nation's cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience.

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Outline:

(00:12) Overview

(01:33) Background on CISA

(03:00) Organizational structure

(05:19) CISA and AI policy

(06:21) Recent AI-related developments at CISA

(08:44) CISA offices working on AI policy

(09:02) Working at CISA

(11:06) Further reading

(11:11) Experience reports

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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This guide explains how and why the US government funds R&D, outlines key institutions and processes, and discusses considerations and opportunities for working in R&D policy.

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Outline:

(00:10) Overview

(01:40) Why does the government invest in R&D?

(04:42) Federal R&D funding basics

(09:24) Funding models and mechanisms

(13:04) Federal R&D funding and emerging technology

(24:30) Why (not) work on federal R&D funding?

(24:35) The case for impact

(27:57) The case for professional growth

(29:47) Some tradeoffs

(33:05) The funding process: Who's involved?

(34:48) Budget and policy direction setting

(44:37) Grant-making and program execution

(46:30) Conducting the actual R&D

(48:48) Coordination

(51:25) Oversight

(52:57) Working on R&D funding: types of roles and career opportunities

(53:35) Preparing for R&D funding roles

(57:28) Appendices: Day-in-the-life & a brief history of federal R&D funding

(01:07:04) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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Learn how to create and adapt your personal “pitch” in policy settings, from happy hours to informational interviews. Your pitch tells your professional story—your background, motivations, and interests—and is a key part of effective networking.

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Outline:

(00:33) Why do you need a pitch?

(01:34) Crafting your pitch

(03:20) Example pitches

(06:22) Tips for your pitch

(10:40) Preparing for follow-up questions:

(11:18) Adapting your pitch by audience and context

(17:26) Practicing your pitch

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

The original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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ARPAs are specialized R&D funding entities designed to accelerate technological breakthroughs across national defense, intelligence, energy, and health.

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Outline:

(00:11) Overview

(02:41) Organization

(04:48) The ARPA model

(10:44) Personal fit: Why (not) work at an ARPA

(11:01) Advantages

(12:44) Disadvantages

(15:19) The ARPAs and emerging technology R&D

(15:55) Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)

(19:08) Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)

(21:05) Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

(22:20) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)

(23:49) Types of roles

(28:49) How to get an ARPA job

(29:29) Early- and mid-career opportunities

(30:02) PM roles

(34:55) Researching ARPA programs relevant to emerging technology

(36:54) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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Learn how to publish short, policy-relevant pieces in public outlets—including how to choose your topic, article type, and outlet. Publishing articles can help you shape policy debates, build your credentials and reputation, and strengthen your public engagement skills.

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Outline:

(00:10) Overview

(00:39) Why publish in policy outlets?

(02:43) Types of articles and policy outlets

(02:58) Types of articles

(04:42) Types of outlets

(05:08) Choosing an outlet

(07:57) What should you write about?

(08:55) Writing about your expertise/research

(09:48) Writing about what's in the news

(10:21) Writing about an outlet's specialization

(10:54) Co-authoring

(11:49) How to write a policy article

(13:48) How to pitch your article

(14:04) Timeline

(14:41) Finding the right editor (and their email)

(15:35) Writing the pitch

(16:24) What to do after your piece is accepted

(17:34) Further reading

(17:40) Appendix: List of outlets

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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TechCongress offers 10-12 month bipartisan full-time congressional fellowships for early- to mid-career professionals with technical experience. No prior policy experience is required.

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Outline:

(00:10) What are policy fellowships?

(02:26) Tips for a successful fellowship

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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A political campaign is an organized effort to elect candidates to public office or pass ballot initiatives such as constitutional amendments, legislative referenda, or local ordinances.

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Outline:

(02:05) Campaign types, organization, and roles

(02:10) Campaign types

(04:49) Primary and general election campaigns

(07:44) Competitive campaigns and partisan campaign committees

(10:35) Legislative campaigns

(13:25) Executive campaigns

(14:12) Judicial campaigns and ballot initiatives

(15:32) Organization and roles

(17:51) Campaign finance

(18:53) Working on a transition team

(21:37) Campaign timelines

(23:47) Personal fit: Pros & cons to campaign work

(24:03) Pros

(25:02) Building experience, skills, and networks

(26:19) Career advancement

(30:29) Civic engagement

(31:27) Cons

(34:51) Testing your fit for campaign work

(36:16) Getting a political campaign role

(37:04) Choosing a campaign: a framework and tool

(39:02) Additional considerations for choosing a campaign

(42:39) Typical campaign salary

(43:51) Finding a job and the hiring process

(45:24) Preparing for an interview

(47:08) What comes next: post-campaign employment

(52:00) Transitioning from campaigning to post-campaign work

(53:16) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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This profile focuses on the civilian activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) under the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and how they relate to AI and biosecurity.

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Outline:

(00:10) Introduction

(02:33) OSD and AI policy

(05:53) AI-relevant offices within OSD

(06:12) OSD and biosecurity policy

(08:25) Biosecurity-relevant offices within OSD

(08:45) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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The military departments—Army, Navy, and Air Force—organize, train, and equip the US armed forces. They play central roles in AI and biosecurity through large-scale R&D programs, operational testing, and technology adoption for national defense.

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Outline:

(00:10) Overview

(01:28) Organization

(04:03) Military departments and emerging technology

(05:52) AI R&D and deployment

(06:35) Bio R&D and deployment

(07:04) Department of the Army (DA)

(08:18) Organization

(09:58) DA and AI policy

(10:35) DA and bio policy

(11:08) Department of the Navy (DON)

(11:52) Organization

(14:20) DON and AI policy

(15:46) DON and bio policy

(17:27) Department of the Air Force (DAF)

(18:08) Organization

(20:03) DAF and AI policy

(20:48) DAF and bio policy

(21:20) Working in the military departments

(21:46) Types of employment

(22:30) Example roles

(22:50) Internships and fellowships

(23:41) Full-time jobs

(24:21) Further reading

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If you’re interested in pursuing a career in emerging technology policy, complete our Policy Career Interest Form, and we may be able to match you with opportunities suited to your background and interests.

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