Julia MacKenzie is the Chief Program Officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), providing leadership to the diverse array of high-impact programs at AAAS, including the Science and Technology Policy Fellowships; Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights & the Law; Dialogue on Science, Ethics, & Religion; the Center for Science Diplomacy; the EPI Center; SciLine; the Center for Public Engagement; and efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in STEMM education and the STEMM workforce.
Prior to her role as CPO, Julia served as Senior Director of International Affairs and Director of the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy, advising on strategic bilateral and multilateral relationships; strengthening ties between scientists and diplomats; and elevating the role of science in foreign policy to address global challenges. She also served as Executive Editor of the policy journal Science & Diplomacy.
Prior to AAAS, she was the Senior Technical Advisor within the Office of Research and Science at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. There, she coordinated and oversaw a research portfolio for PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), including three large multi-national randomized controlled trials operating in five African countries. She also served as the Designated Federal Officer for the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board, an independent FACA-chartered advisory group to PEPFAR.
As an expert in infectious diseases, her scientific career included research on HIV immunopathology, herpes simplex viral entry, and the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. She received her doctorate degree in immunology and microbial pathogenesis at Northwestern University as well as a master’s in public health.