Sybil Francis' career as a public policy analyst/architect for over 30 years has spanned a number of policy areas, including science, technology and national security, and education. She has worked in a variety of settings to affect positive social outcomes, including the U.S. House of Representatives, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and in educational institutions and research laboratories.

Francis' research and policy focus is at the intersection of science, technology and politics and on the impact of political, organizational and competitive forces on technological innovation. She is currently working on the question of how intra-governmental competitive forces can be harnessed to stimulate technological innovation in support of improved societal outcomes.

Francis received her B.A. in Chemistry from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She began her career in science policy as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman George E. Brown, Jr. and learned through her work with him about the importance of outcomes based thinking in science and technology policy. She has become a practitioner informed by research and a scholar informed by practice.