Assembly of Scientists (AOS)

The Council of the NIH Assembly of Scientists (AOS) is an elected committee representing the interests of intramural faculty-level scientists and clinicians, including Tenured and Tenure-Track Investigators, Staff Clinicians, and Staff Scientists. The Council officially advises and meets regularly with the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research, as well as other senior NIH leaders, to discuss issues affecting the AOS constituencies. Representatives from the NIH AOS Council participate in key NIH-wide committee meetings, including Scientific Directors/Clinical Directors, Medical Executive Committee, Deputy Ethics Counselors, Equity Committee, and other critical NIH policy and advisory groups.

The AOS actively seeks ideas and concerns from its constituencies related to the NIH policies and procedures that impact on personnel, programs, and mission. The Council disseminates information and best practices to its constituencies through various means, including an annual town hall meeting. For important issues affecting its constituencies, the AOS Council may pass resolutions that will be presented to the DDIR and Scientific Directors for their consideration.

The current members of the Council and the scope of active Council committees are listed below. Please contact the committee chairs or Council leadership to bring issues to the Council’s attention. We are also interested having AOS members join committees that are of interest to them. Please contact the committee chairs listed in the table below to discuss joining.

AOS Committees

• Clinical Research – This committee is concerned with the entire spectrum of NIH activities and policies impacting on the intramural clinical research enterprise, including the quality and availability of NIH Clinical Center services, the impact and functioning of the NIH IRB and other regulatory and oversight bodies, retention of clinical staff, and any other issues impacting on clinical research.
• Ethics – This committee monitors and represents AOS member interests, priorities and concerns around ethics policies and their implementation via participation in the periodic meetings of the NIH Deputy Ethics Counselors (DECs) and interactions with NIH leadership. Common areas of engagement involve outside activities, acceptance of awards, and conflicts of interest.
• Infrastructure – This committee focuses on gathering information on infrastructure issues across campus and advocating for prompt and competent responses to infrastructure problems.
• Information Technologies – This committee represents AOS interests to NIH leadership regarding IT infrastructure and policies via involvement in pan-NIH IT advisory committees and direct interactions with NIH IT leaders.
• Staff Scientists and Staff Clinicians – Representatives from the AOS Council serve on the NIH Staff Clinicians Committee and the NIH Staff Scientists Committee, and work with these committees to advocate priorities to NIH leadership. Recent areas of focus have included Staff Clinician and Staff Scientist professional title designations and career advancement, development of a pan-NIH system to place Staff Scientists and Staff Clinicians impacted by NIH supervisor retirements or departures, and access to career development activities.
• Travel – This committee advocates for rational and harmonized travel policies across the NIH. Confusing or unfair decisions by administrators regarding travel can be brought forward by this committee to relevant NIH leadership.
• Workforce – This committee broadly focuses on professional lives of AOS members and their ability to carry out the NIH mission. Areas of focus include access to resources, promotion and tenure, scientific reviews adverse administrative actions, mental health support, and professional recognition. We advocate for fair and equitable treatment of AOS members by NIH leaders and offices. Committee members represent the AOS on the OITE Advisory Committee and the Anti-Harassment Task Force.

2023-2024 AOS Council

AOS Resources

• History and Description of the NIH AOS ( ‘Guest Editorial’ in the March/April 2018 issue of The NIH Catalyst)