A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social and behavioral scientists
Three key positions in the portion of the National Science Foundation focusing on social science will soon be open, and the foundation – the largest funder of academic social science in the United States — is conducting a national search to fill these key jobs.
The National Science Foundation, the largest government funder of basic social and behavioral research in the United States, is changing how it “positions” some of its research programs in those fields. While the changes are meant to better highlight the value of social science, not everyone is pleased by the changes.
When the National Science Foundation tabbed Arthur “Skip” Lupia to head its Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), it was making a statement whether it meant to or not. Lupia, officially the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, has been one of social science’s ablest defenders — and occasional critics.
Noted science communicator and political scientist Arthur ‘Skip’ Lupia will take the reins of the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences starting in September.
Addressing the value of social science, Skip Lupia argues it’s absolutely fair for Congress to hold the disciplines’ feet to the fire, and absolutely necessary for researchers themselves to come to their own defense.
