Sara Barber Ph.D

Sara Barber is research policy expert who has extensive legislative and agency oversight experience after seven years working in Congress with the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. During her last few years on the Hill, Sara served as a lead author and negotiator of the science provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, including the National Science Foundation for the Future Act and the government-wide policy provisions related to broadening participation in science and research security. Sara is a leading expert on research security and other research administration issues. During her time on the Hill, Sara drove the Science Committee’s oversight efforts on these issues, including close engagement with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. Sara leverages her scientific background, policy experience, and familiarity with federal agencies to provide valuable insights to advance client interests across the federal science and engineering enterprise.

Issue Areas: National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, research policy and administration, research security, broadening participation in STEM, and physical sciences.

Additional Experiences: After graduating with a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oklahoma, Sara transitioned to a career in science policy with an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science Policy Fellowship sponsored by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Sara spent her fellowship year with the Space Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology where she worked on National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research and development and space exploration, national space policy, space commercialization, Earth remote sensing policy, and space communications.

Vital Statistics: Sara lives in Capitol Hill with her husband and Shetland sheepdog. She enjoys live music, exploring the city on her bicycle, and crafting.