GSA Science Policy Fellowship

Josh Martin will serve as GSA’s 2023-2024 Science Policy Fellow. Josh grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where trips to the Orton Geological Museum and the Center of Science and Industry instilled an early love of science. He majored in Geological Sciences at Ohio University, along with earning minors in math and physics. Working with the faculty at OU eventually led to interests in mineral physics and planetary geology, which he would later explore during his PhD at Ohio State University developing high-precision models of material properties for use in modeling the Earth and rocky exoplanets. Josh also served as a Graduate Research Assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the summer of 2019.

Josh’s interest in policy took off during the spring of 2020, when aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of clear communication between scientists, policy makers, and the public. This led to his participation in various science policy and science communication workshops, as well as the 2022 Geosciences Congressional Visit Days, where he and other geoscientists met with policy makers to advocate for increased funding for the geosciences. Upon completing his PhD in December 2022, Josh taught introductory geology courses at the University of Dayton in the spring of 2023. This experience teaching underscored just how important it is for students to have educators that are invested in them and their education, further cementing Josh’s interests in policy that can strengthen higher education in the geosciences and across STEM fields. In his free time, Josh enjoys playing the saxophone, cooking, and reading at local coffee shops.

Learn more about the fellowship from 2021-2022 Science Policy Fellow Morgan Monz