Caroline S. Wagner conducts research in the field of science and technology and its relationship to policy, society and innovation, with a particular focus on international collaboration.
Wagner received a doctorate in science and technology dynamics from Amsterdam School of Communications Research, University of Amsterdam, a Master of Arts in Science, Technology and Public Policy from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College.
A distinguished Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a former elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Wagner joined Ohio State in 2011. She engaged with students at all levels, from a freshman seminar on the history of space to doctoral students in public policy analysis. Her favorite class was Leadership in Public and Nonprofit Sectors, where she taught and guided the future leaders of our nation by bringing her own experience working in science and technology roles with the White House and the U.S. Congress into the classroom. She was director of the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy, a research center within the Glenn College, from 2011 to 2015.
She serves on the Societal Impacts of Science and Technology committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was recently tapped as the leader of the evaluation team for the new NSF-backed center, Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE). She serves on the International Working Group for the National Science Foundation’s Research on Research Security program and, with the National Academy of Sciences, the Subcommittee on U.S.-China Collaboration.
Wagner served as a consultant to the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. For the Royal Society of London, Wagner advised and co-wrote the 2011 report “Knowledge, Networks and Nations.” She served for 10 years as the editor of the journal Science and Public Policy.
Her expertise led to her selection for the Expert Panel on International Science, Technology, Innovation and Knowledge Partnerships for the Council of Canadian Academies on a report called “Navigating Collaborative Futures.” The 2024 assessment examined best practices and identified key elements of a rigorous, data-enabled approach to selecting international science, technology and innovation.
Prior to joining Ohio State’s faculty, Wagner was a policy analyst working with and for government in a career that spanned more than 30 years and three continents. At The RAND Corp., she was deputy to the director of the Science & Technology Policy Institute, a research center serving the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. This position included crafting and coordinating research projects related to science and technology subjects across a number of disciplines and locations. Wagner’s role was to act as project manager, writer and policy analyst on more than 12 major projects for RAND. Also, with RAND, Wagner served at RAND Europe’s office in Leiden, Netherlands, where she consulted for the European Commission.
She also worked twice as staff member for the U.S. Congress — as a professional staff member for the House Committee for Science, Space and Technology, and as an analyst for the then-Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. With the U.S. State Department, Wagner was stationed for two years at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, as an economic officer reporting on technological change in Asia. She previously served as an elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Knowledge creation, dissemination and application are at the core of Wagner’s research. She is particularly interested in collaborative efforts to conduct research, development and innovation. Public policy towards investments in science, technology and new economy are at the center of her work, and this extends to developing countries that seek to use knowledge as the basis for growth.
She authored two books: “The New Invisible College: Science for Development,” in 2008, and “The Collaborative Era in Science: Governing the Network,” in 2018.
Wagner engaged with students at all levels, from a freshman seminar on the history of space, to doctoral students in public policy analysis. Her favorite class was Leadership in Public and Nonprofit Sectors, where she taught and guided the future leaders of our nation and where she brought her own experience working with the White House and the U.S. Congress into the classroom.
Wagner served as a consultant to the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. For the Royal Society of London, Wagner advised and co-wrote the 2011 report “Knowledge, Networks and Nations.” She served for 10 years as the editor of the journal Science and Public Policy.
