Scientific research requires funding. The funds come from a variety of
sources,
including the government, corporations, and private foundations — one of the many intersections of science and public policy.
Program officers at all of these
organizations manage the allocation of funds, which includes answering
questions from grant applicants and managing the grant application
review
process. Some program officers report that one of the favorite things
about
their job is that they still have access to the excitement of being on
the
cutting edge of research, even though they are no longer working at the
lab
bench.