Her Story
About Rae
Rae Moss is an accomplished communications executive with 25 years of experience in the federal research laboratory industry. She currently serves as Sr. Director of Communications at a national laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, where she leads a team responsible for communications and outreach. Her work focuses on scientific storytelling to communicate research findings to build advocacy and influence policymakers, while also supporting workforce development outreach programs such as Saturday Morning Physics and Saturday Morning Quantum. She holds an MBA from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, obtained in 1993, after working as a high school teacher for four years. Rae is a member of PRSA and founded a chapter of the organization in the Tri-Cities, Washington. She values transparency in science communication, especially given that national labs are funded with taxpayer dollars. Her career reflects a commitment to making complex, long-term fundamental science accessible and demonstrating its societal benefits.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rae
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I had a boss once say to me, come to me with solutions, not problems. That has stuck with me. He isn't going to come up with the solution, he wanted me to, and I've taken that forward for my employees. It's like, don't give me the problem, give me the solution, because you are empowered to find that solution.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do what you love, and love what you do. If you're in a field and it's not making you happy then look for something different. I've always said Mondays are my favorite days of the week because going to work is a joy.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The complexity of communicating long-term fundamental science where impacts may not be seen for 50-100 years, similar to discovering electrons leading to modern tech. Also, media noise and myriad ways to get messaging out.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency in what we do, because science can be such a black box to people. As we're funded with taxpayer dollars, having that transparency is really critical to ensure that people see the value of what we're doing.
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