At Science Politics, we are doing something different. We blend academic rigor with journalistic storytelling to make complex scientific, social, political, and ethical challenges understandable to a broad public.
But what truly sets us apart is our forward-looking approach. There’s plenty to critique in today’s world — our goal is not to dwell on what’s wrong, but to illuminate what’s possible. We strive to understand scientific challenges, show how they affect people and other living beings, and propose pathways toward a safer and healthier world.
History & Vision
We founded Science Politics to elevate expert voices in the ethics, values, and politics of science and technology and put their knowledge in global perspective. Our intention is to build civic trust by leaning into solutions-focused journalism that amplifies what can be done at this moment.
We are innovating a new way of publishing by creating an open-access website accessible to a general audience. The site aims to meet researchers’ desire to share their knowledge with the public without the time and financial investment of submitting to a traditional journal; it also aims to meet engaged, everyday readers’ desire to access scientific information directly, without a paywall or an intermediary.
Science Politics is a “journazine” because it combines academic rigor with journalistic storytelling and communicates complex topics in a way that can be read, understood, and enjoyed by a large audience. Three times a week, our site publishes feature-length stories that combine a journal’s deeply researched, original insight with the accessible, explanatory language of a magazine.
We also publish longer form essays as special collections in both print editions and online, open-access journal housed by Georgetown University.
Since January 2026, we have published more than 115 articles and engaged more than 22,000 readers. Our more than 100 contributors come from nearly 100 academic, non-profit, and governmental institutions.
What truly sets Science Politics apart is its forward-looking approach, inspired by the work of The Solutions Journalism Network.
Many news stories and academic articles excel at analyzing problems or describing shortcomings. While those insights are important, over time they can come to feel overwhelming or discouraging. In contrast, solutions-oriented stories articulate the problem but focus on what is already being done or could be done to address it.
One reason a solutions-oriented framing is important for Science Politics is because it taps into writers’ expertise. Sometimes journalists and academics hesitate to suggest a solution because they feel they lack the authority; however, they are often also the best people to suggest a way forward because they have unique information that could shed light on a problem we all share.
Authors
Science Politics encourages submissions from social and natural scientists, journalists, policymakers, and emerging voices.
Our Academic Home
Science Politics is hosted by the Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (SFS).
Rooted in Georgetown’s tradition of cura personalis—“care of the whole person”—we bring meaning, ethics, and responsibility into the heart of science-policy debates.
Masthead
Editor-in-Chief: Emily Mendenhall
Executive Editor: Kelly J. Kelly
Managing Editor: Diana Rayes
Creative Director: Mariam Kvaratskhelia
Business Lead: Jennifer Eagleton
Editorial Board: Bulelani Jili, Chip Colwell, Clare Fieseler, Dagomar Degroot, Jishnu Das, Meg Leta Jones, Shareen Joshi, Sarah Stewart Johnson & Ty Eldridge
Senior Columnists: Clare Fieseler, Dagomar Degroot & Sanjay Basu
Cartoonist: Meg Leta Jones, Elle Wibisono
Webmaster: JJ Lueck
Outreach & Social Media Fellows: Avery Simon & Kaitlyn Randolph
Website Operations Fellow: Anay Shah
Fact Checking: Lizzie Ong, Sabrina Gomez