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The Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State was created in 2000 by then Secretary of State Madeline Albright in response to the 1999 study by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The position was authorized by Congress through Senate Act 886. Since its creation, STAS has worked to enhance the capacity of the Department to respond to the evolving role of science and technology (S&T) intersecting with US foreign policy interests, by linking Department leadership with the vast U.S. S&T community and by increasing the numbers of technically trained personnel in the Department through a series of fellowships.

In September 2015, STAS identified a three pillar strategy consisting of the following elements

• Bringing to bear the vast resources of the U.S. science community to build science capacity across the Department.
• Promoting the role of science engagement for confidence building with countries and regions viewed as foreign policy priorities.
• Working with the Deputy Secretary and the “E” Under Secretary and their staff to implement and build a coordinated science and technology innovation strategy so that the Department can connect research, development and discovery generated within the high- tech and private sectors to foreign policy priorities.

Building on 15 years of activity, STAS remains a vibrant resource to Department leadership, senior foreign service and bureaus and offices across the department providing a focal point for S&T as a key component of U.S. foreign policy, while at the same time serving as a central bridge between the Department and the vast science and technology community in the United States and abroad.

On September 8, 2015, Dr. Vaughan Turekian was named the fifth Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State.