Knowledgeable in research and training policies, as well as experimental psychology science policy, Pamela Flattau, PhD, is very “pre-brain,” meaning that she was taught about human behavior in the 1960s. There were very good constructivist theories on how the brain operates, which have since been worn out. One theory that she was exposed to as an undergraduate led to a Nobel Prize in 2014, which involved Swedish and British neuropsychologists working together to show how the brain was “probably” wired. Dr. Flattau was the first congregational science fellow to work in Washington, DC, between 1974 and 1975. She eventually made the transition from that point from science to public policy.
Since 2014, Dr. Flattau has served as the founder and executive director of the Psychology of Science in Policy (PsySiP) Project, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to promoting the application of the psychology of science to the formation of policies at the national and international levels. She began her professional career as a staff officer of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS/NRC) in Washington in 1975, remaining in this position for six years before moving up the ranks to senior staff officer from 1985 to 1990 and unit director from 1990 to 1995. During this time, she served as a policy analyst for the science indicators unit of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1981 to 1985. Dr. Flattau then founded and directed her own company, Flattau Associates, LLC, from 1995 to 2003 and worked in the RSM section of the Institute for Defense Analyses from 2003 to 2014.
Dr. Flattau’s other current roles include managing Flattau Associates, LLC, since 1995 and working in the STPI section of the Institute for Defense Analyses since 2003. In addition to this tenure, she served on the executive committee of the Council on Professional Associations for Federal Statistics in Washington from 1986 to 1987. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Dr. Flattau served on the board of directors for the Association of the Advancement of Psychology from 1980 to 1982.
A prolific writer, Dr. Flattau authored and edited the series, “Biomed and Behavioral Research Personnel,” from 1975 to 1980 and in 1994. She was also a contributing author for the “Science and Engineering Indicators” series from 1981 to 1985 and edited “Research Doctorate Programs in U.S.” in 1995. In order to remain updated of trends in her field, Dr. Flattau has maintained involvement with the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science, the International Association of Applied Psychology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among many others.
In recognition of her achievements, Dr. Flattau received an Illinois State Scholarship in 1965 and the APA Young Psychologist Travel Award in 1976. Among the many grants she has received include two NSF travel grants through the APA in 1992 and 2000 and a travel grant from the United National Annual Psychology Day in 2011. Moreover, Dr. Flattau was selected for inclusion in the 27th edition of Who’s Who in the East and multiple editions of Who’s Who In Finance and Industry, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in the World.
Dr. Flattau would like others to recognize her eagerness to bring interdisciplinary and cross-cultural interest on policy. She used to be member of the U.S. National Committee for Psychological Science, so she has been to a lot of meetings and is hoping to do work with the Smithsonian Institution. She would like others to get involved in PsySiP just as she has.