What Does a Chief Science Officer Do?

A chief science officer (CSO) is typically responsible for establishing and executing a strategy within a company for conducting research and developing new scientific discoveries. This usually involves long-term planning and thinking, since the CSO is responsible for creating company policy used by other officers and employees with regard to scientific work. Leadership is often essential in this role, as the CSO must be able to answer to a chief executive officer (CEO) and deal with issues involving managers or employees in lower positions. A chief science officer may be responsible for establishing relationships with other major companies and guiding scientific work between the companies.

Much like other officers at a company or corporation, the CSO is usually responsible for overseeing various policies and activities at the highest level. The CSO is responsible for overseeing scientific research and developments. This means his or her responsibilities often begin with the creation of various documents that indicate the mission and vision of the company with regard to scientific work. Such documents created by a chief science officer can indicate how profits are to be channeled into further research work, what research is to be used for generating commercial products and applications, and how that research can be conducted.

The CSO is typically seen as a leader within the company. If scientific research performed at a company is judged to be inhumane or immoral, for example, then the CSO may be responsible for answering for such issues. The CSO may also expect other officers and team leaders to answer to him or her about scientific research and work being performed. Even though he or she may not be immediately aware of all work going on at a large corporation, the chief science officer is expected to set the “tone” for research and scientific work performed within the company.

At many companies, the chief science officer is also responsible for working with other businesses with regard to scientific research and discovery. If a company utilizes other businesses to perform research on products developed for it, for example, then the CSO is likely to vet and choose a company to work with. When new discoveries and innovations are produced, the chief science officer may be responsible for choosing how to announce such work to the public or shareholders. This can overlap somewhat with the responsibilities of marketing agencies and advertisers, but the CSO is typically expected to work with other officers and professionals to ensure that scientific work is published and revealed in a beneficial and financially advantageous manner.