Career Speaker Series
Sponsored by JHMI Professional Development Office
Emily Overholser, PhD
Research Scientist- Institute for Defense Analysis
February 16, 2007
Describe your current organization and role.
IDA is a not-for-profit Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
that provides independent advice on National Security for the Department of Defense
(DOD) as well as other Federal agencies. Emily works with various branches to help
assess analytical instruments and procedures such as conducting threat assessments. Her
main tasks revolve around defense acquisition projects or evaluating systems for
government/military acquisition and her daily tasks involve helping properly dispose of
chemical weapons, observing various test events, reading reports and analyzing findings
to help clients make informed decisions. IDA has approximately 900 employees with 810 biologists. Emily described her firm as more low profile than government defense
contractors such as Booz Allen and Lockheed. Further, she said IDA is viewed quite
favorably by government/military entities that they deal with because they are a not-forprofit and their recommendations/judgments are independent, as they are not carrying the
banner of any government organization. They are a individual think tank and therefore
do not conduct tests themselves, rather they view and analyze the tests of others to ensure
integrity and proper standards are adhered to. Emily does not work in a lab setting and is
very hands-off in her role. Instead, she is consumed most with reading reports of others.
How did you obtain this position out of grad school?
Emily was very candid about her wanting to leave the bench. She said that early in her
grad career, she knew that academic research was not her calling. She loves science, but
felt confined on the bench and sought after a broader application of science. After
obtaining her PhD, she began applying to every single position she felt qualified for. On a
whim, she applied to a position in the Washington Post calling for a biologist. The
position was with IDA. The manager said he plucked Emily’s resume out of a rather large
stack, not just because of her scientific background, but also because she minored in
journalism. Additionally, Emily served as editor for Hopkins Graduate Student
Newsletter which her future boss found very appealing, due to the high volume of
reading and writing required in her current role.
What do you like best about your position?
Emily enjoys the mental stimulation and ability to work on multiple projects. The
diversity and ever changing projects keeps her role from becoming stale. Emily felt
constricted in her lab setting as she was performing the same experiments over and over
again, whereas in her current role every day is a new learning experience and brings
about something new
What do you like least?
One of the biggest challenges was becoming familiar with government/military
acronyms, or alphabet soup. Although she works for a not-for-profit, she deals
extensively with folks in this arena and said there is tremendous bureaucratic nonsense.
Also, learning the science side of the military is easier than acclimating to the operations
side. Although fairly light, Emily enjoys the travel in her current role as well as the
benefits on being a government employee.
Where do you find jobs in this sector?
∙ The best place to search for federal jobs is at WashingtonPost.com
∙ Also, check the websites of each Federally Funded Research & Development Center
(FFRDC), there are about 20-30 throughout the US
∙ Government contractors and consulting firms such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop
Grumman, Booz Allen, Raytheon, Boeing and General Dynamics all hire research
scientists in similar capacities
∙ Policy fellowships, such as AAAS, White House fellows also provide entry points into
this arena
∙ If you are looking for more hands-on, lab based, opportunities, the Department of
Homeland Security, Environment Protection Agency and Centers for Disease control all
have biodefense/bioterrorism oriented labs
What is the pay like?
Emily’s starting salary as a research staffer was $88,000. She said there is a great deal of
flexibility among the government contracting firms based on experience and
qualifications.
You must be a US citizen and be able to obtain a secret clearance.