Maureen M. Kearney PhD

Dr. Maureen Kearney is Chief Program Officer of AAAS, and Director of the Office of Science, Policy and Society Programs. She joined AAAS in February 2018, bringing an extensive mix of academic, science leadership, and management experience to the association’s programs. Prior to joining AAAS, she served as Associate Director for Science at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Before that, she served as program director and acting division director in the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation. Previously, she worked as a research curator at the Field Museum of Natural History and a member of the Committee of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago.

She received her Ph.D. in biological sciences, with a research focus on phylogenetics, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity science. As the Chief Program Officer, Kearney oversees programs such as Science and Technology Policy Fellowships; Research Competitiveness; Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights & Law; STEM Education; STEM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion.