CDC Strategic Foresight for Public Health Readiness and Response

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, offers a one-year ORISE fellowship in Strategic Foresight within SF. Fellows train under a mentor, conducting applied research on AI-enabled foresight, horizon scanning, and scenario planning to support public health readiness.

The program emphasizes collaboration with ORR and CDC programs, includes opportunities to publish a manuscript, and involves a full-time appointment starting in 2026, with a rolling review of

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in a relevant field.
• Preference for experience in Strategic Foresight or related areas.

Responsibilities

• Research and advance AI tools to support foresight insights and published work.
• Independently reevaluate the 2025-2030 strategic plan against the current landscape.
• Engage with ORR and CDC programs to explore foresight opportunities for resilience.
• Develop a manuscript detailing methods, results, and implications for public health foresight.

Skills

Horizon scanning

STEEP analysis

Trend analysis

Backcasting

SF integration

Interpersonal skills

Analytical thinking

Written/oral communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Doctoral degree

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0076

Application Deadline

11/6/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC protects America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts important science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

Research Project

Strategic Foresight (SF) is a specialty dedicated to preparing an organization to act effectively under deep uncertainty – not by predicting a single future, but by understanding the range of plausible futures and forces shaping them. Public health is defined by its exposure to compounding, fast-moving drivers of change: the accelerating convergence of AI and biotechnology, shifts in disease ecology, global migration, and other factors affecting supply chains and health security, demographic and workforce transitions, and an information ecosystem that outpaces official communications. As the current landscape evolves, iteration of foresight activities (e.g., horizon scanning, trend identification and analysis, implication determinations) is important. These insights enable us to identify early signals, stress-test assumptions, and inform strategic partnerships, investments, and strategies to mitigate uncertainties and achieve institutional objectives.

ORR has leveraged SF for the past 5+ years to better understand the rapidly changing dynamics of the public health landscape and technological advancements with implications to public health readiness and response.

Under the guidance of a mentor, you will train on activities to research, test, and help advance novel SF approaches and techniques as an applied learning experience relevant to ORR/OD’s foresight portfolio. This training is a research opportunity: you will develop and apply SF methodology under mentorship, producing analysis and materials that build both the your professional knowledge and the evidence base for how SF methods can support public health practice.

Research activities include

• Research and advance the utility of AI models (including deep research tools) as an emerging technique to support the development of SF insights, tabletop exercises, and training materials and documenting methodology and findings as an applied research contribution.
• Conduct an independent reevaluation of the feasibility and current status of the 2025-2030 strategic plan (developed in 2024) to assess how well the plan holds up against the current landscape.
• Gain skills in applied stakeholder engagement with ORR and CDC programs to research opportunities for leveraging foresight techniques to build resilience and enhance readiness and response capabilities.
• Develop or collaborate on at least one manuscript for peer-reviewed publication; detailing methods, results, implications, and next steps for the use of SF in public health- and supporting your professional development and broader field’s evidence base.

Learning Objectives

• Applied training in foresight methodologies — practical, real-world, experience with structured analytic techniques, scenario planning, and horizon scanning that are transferable across public and private sector career paths
• Direct engagement with senior decision-makers — opportunity to brief and interact with ORR leadership, building experience translating technical complexity into decision-relevant language
• Cross-sector network building — access to relationships across government, academia, and industry that can shape future career opportunities
• Insight into how strategic foresight can inform action within the public sector — a rare look inside the process connecting early-stage technical signals to real resourcing and policy decisions, valuable for anyone considering a career in strategy or foresight

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Matt Mauldin ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation

The appointment is full time.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields.

Preferred Skills

• Professional experience in Strategic Foresight tailoring strategies to the specific needs of an organization is ideal
• Some formal graduate-level education in a SF-related field (e.g., recent graduate or current student) heavily desired
• Experience with horizon scanning, STEEP (or similar assessments), trend and impact analyses, backcasting, and integration of SF insights into strategic planning activities
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Robust analytical/critical thinking and written/oral communication skills

Stipend

$4,446.75 – $6,581.00 Monthly

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (
    • Communications
    • Health Communications
    • Science Writing
    )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (4 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (1 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 )
• Affirmation:
  • I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC. I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)