Laura Povlich is a Program Director in the Division of International Training and Research at the Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, where she was previously an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Dr. Povlich administers a portfolio of grants that covers a range of research, research training, and research education projects related to global health technology, with a significant focus on information and communication technology. Additionally, she is the program director for the H3Africa Global Health Bioinformatics Research Training Program. Prior to working at Fogarty, Dr. Povlich was the 2011-2012 Materials Research Society/Optical Society Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow in the Office of Congressman Sander Levin.
Dr. Povlich earned a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering and a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering, both from the University of Michigan. Her research focused on the synthesis of functionalized conjugated polymers for biological sensor applications and for neural probe and prosthetic device electrode coatings.