Aaron F. Mertz

Internationally recognized for his laboratory research and advocacy for underrepresented groups in science, Aaron F. Mertz, Ph.D., joined the Aspen Institute in 2019 to found and direct the Science & Society Program, which catalyzes community leaders, current and future scientists, and the general public to build a better scientific ecosystem, society, and world. 

Across program pillars of Global Science, Science & Social Justice, and Public Trust in Science, Dr. Mertz executive produced the documentary series INFODEMIC: Global Conversations on Science and Misinformation that appeared on PBS; chaired the Aspen Global Congress on Scientific Thinking & Action with participants from 50+ countries; and is executive producing the feature-length documentary film Six Degrees From Science that will immerse audiences in the lives of passionate biomedical scientists working in environments where institutional barriers abound. 

Previously, Dr. Mertz was a postdoc in cell and developmental biology at Rockefeller University. His publications span biology, physics, engineering, and science policy and have appeared in Nature, Science, Cell, Physical Review Letters, and Nautilus. He earned a bachelor’s in physics from Washington University in St. Louis, a master’s in history of science from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and a doctorate in physics from Yale University.