Science Policy, Funding & Careers
The Surprising Career Parallels Between Footballers and Researchers
Article link | Nature Careers | Nature | June 26, 2026
Career column compares the pressures, competition, training, and uncertain career paths of professional footballers and scientists.
Inside the new political screening that's stalling NIH grants
Article link | Max Kozlov | Nature | June 26, 2026
Nature reports that hundreds of NIH grant applications are being delayed by new political reviews and screening for disfavored terms after scientific peer review.
US Funding Uncertainties Threaten to Sink Key Global Oceanography Projects
Article link | Nature | Nature | June 25, 2026
Nature reports that U.S. science-funding uncertainty is threatening major international oceanography projects that depend on long-term support and global coordination.
Nepal's New Science Ministry Must Strengthen Scientific Capacity
Article link | Nature Correspondence | Nature | June 23, 2026
Commentary argues that Nepal's new science ministry should build long-term research capacity, support scientists, and strengthen national science infrastructure.
Europe as Science Superpower: What It Will Take to Rival the US and China
Article link | Nature | Nature | June 23, 2026
Nature examines Europe's effort to strengthen its research power as uncertainty rises around U.S. science funding and global competition increases.
Daily Briefing: NASA to Launch Satellite-Rescue Mission
Article link | Flora Graham | Nature | June 23, 2026
Nature briefing highlights NASA's planned satellite-rescue mission along with science-policy developments, European research ambitions, and workplace-culture research.
ScienceAdviser: A Rising Tide Sinks All Coasts
Article link | ScienceAdviser | Science | June 18, 2026
ScienceAdviser highlights recent research and science-policy developments, including coastal risk, wildlife tracking, plant biomechanics, and other current science stories.
Dismantling of Key Ocean 'Telescope' Raises Fears of U.S. Retreat From Marine Science
Article link | Science | Science | June 18, 2026
Researchers are pushing back against abrupt NSF cuts affecting a major ocean-observing system, warning that the loss could damage long-term marine science and climate monitoring.
A Space Telescope Is Falling to Earth. NASA Is Racing to Rescue It
Article link | Science | Science | June 17, 2026
Science reports on NASA's attempt to use a robotic mission to rescue the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a space telescope whose orbit has been decaying.
New Documentary Follows Researchers' Increasingly Fraught Career Path
Article link | Science | Science | June 12, 2026
Science reviews The Endless Frontier, a documentary following three researchers as they train students, pursue discovery, and navigate pressure from unstable science funding.
Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders Rankings
Article link | Nature Index | Nature | June 10, 2026
Nature Index presents its 2026 research-leader rankings, offering a snapshot of institutions and countries producing high-output natural-science research.
House Spending Panel Proposes Slight Raise for NIH in 2027
Article link | Jocelyn Kaiser | Science | June 4, 2026
Science reports that a House spending panel proposed a small NIH increase for 2027 while rejecting parts of the administration's plan to sharply cut or restructure biomedical research funding.
First and Last Authors More Likely to Be Men in Leading Science Journals
Article link | Rachel Nuwer and Vera Nienaber | Nature | June 2, 2026
Nature Index analysis finding that women’s participation in science has grown, but gender gaps remain in first and last authorship positions in leading journals.
White House Stalls Release of Approved US Science Budgets
Article link | Max Kozlov, Alexandra Witze and Dan Garisto | Nature | June 2026
Weeks after Congress rejected sweeping cuts to science agencies, Nature reports that funding to agencies including NIH, NSF, and NASA has still been slowed.
White House Proposes Vast Overhaul of US Science Funding
Article link | Dan Garisto and Mariana Lenharo | Nature | June 2026
Nature explains a proposed overhaul of federal science-funding rules, including concerns that political appointees could gain more control over grants, peer review, collaborations, meeting attendance, and publication support.
What Big Ideas Will Shape U.S. Science Over the Next Decade? Here Are Some Contenders
Article link | Science | Science | June 2026
Science reports on candidate big ideas for future U.S. research priorities, including projects that could shape public participation, discovery, and national science strategy.
Science Must Be Seen as a Viable Profession for the Many, Not the Few
Article link | AI Second | Nature | June 2026
Commentary argues that science careers should become more accessible, stable, and inclusive so that talented people from many backgrounds can see research as a realistic profession.
Exclusive: NSF Slashes Research Programs to Support New Tech Initiative, Insiders Say
Article link | Science | Science | June 2026
Science reports that NSF is reducing budgets for many traditional basic-science programs to redirect money toward a new technology initiative, raising concerns among researchers.
Exclusive: HHS Is Now Weighing In on Science in NIH Grants
Article link | Science | Science | June 2026
Article on HHS involvement in NIH grant decisions, raising concerns about how political or departmental review could affect scientific independence and biomedical research priorities.
Europe Must Seize the Moment to Lead on Free and Open Science
Article link | Nature | Nature | June 2026
Nature commentary argues that Europe has an opportunity to strengthen free and open science as global research systems face funding, governance, and political pressures.
Article link | Linda Nordling | Nature | May 28, 2026
Nature invites researchers to participate in a global survey about science careers, workplace culture, salaries, and how rapid changes in science and society are affecting researchers.
Lawmakers Propose Banning Almost All U.S.-Chinese Research Collaborations
Article link | Science | Science | May 27, 2026
Science article on proposed restrictions that could severely limit U.S.-China research collaborations, with possible consequences for international science and academic exchange.
Who's Missing? Why Underrepresentation Often Goes Unnoticed in the Workplace and Classroom
Article link | Phys.org | Phys.org | May 25, 2026
Social-science article examining why people often fail to notice when groups are underrepresented in professional or educational settings.
In Unreleased Document, Fired U.S. Science Board Issues Stark Warning About Keeping Pace
Article link | Science | Science | May 14, 2026
Article about the fired National Science Board and a warning document tied to the State of U.S. Science and Engineering report.
After USDA Request, Indiana Plant Biologist Locked Out of Lab by School
Article link | Jeffrey Mervis | Science | May 9, 2026
Science article about an Indiana University plant biologist who was locked out of his lab after a USDA request, raising questions about federal pressure and research freedom.
Targeted termination of scientific grants and minoritised researcher status
Article link | Dan Jagger | Bluesky | May 8, 2026 | Article: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas
Open-access research article on grant cancellations and demographic impacts.
NIH grant cuts disproportionately hit minority and female researchers
Article link | Dan Jagger | Bluesky | May 8, 2026 | Article: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas
Post links to an open-access study on targeted termination of scientific grants and minoritised researcher status.
Massive Budget Cuts for U.S. Science Proposed Again by Trump
Article link | Nature | Nature | May 8, 2026
Nature news article about proposed cuts to U.S. science budgets and the possible effects on research institutions and scientists.
The 'Nostalgia Effect': Scientists Produce Less Disruptive Work as They Age
Article link | University of Pittsburgh / Phys.org | May 7, 2026
Coverage of a Science paper arguing that older researchers often cite older work and produce fewer disruptive papers, while still contributing by linking existing ideas.
I'm Burnt Out and Leaving Academia. How Do I Finish My PhD?
Article link | Michael E. Mann shared post | Nature | May 7, 2026
Career-focused Nature article about burnout, PhD completion, and the pressures facing younger researchers in academia.
I researched misinformation, until the government cut the funding
Article link | Lisa Fazio | Bluesky | May 7, 2026 | Article: The Tennessean
Reflection on NSF grant terminations and how reduced funding affects misinformation research.
Early-Career Researchers Do More 'Disruptive' Science Than Veterans
Article link | Mariana Lenharo | Nature | May 7, 2026
Analysis of millions of researchers' publication records suggesting that younger scientists tend to produce more disruptive work, while older scientists more often connect existing ideas.
We Asked U.S. Researchers How the Trump Administration's Science Policies Affected Them
Article link | Phys.org | Phys.org | May 2026
Article summarizing responses from U.S. scientists about funding cuts, policy disruption, research delays, and career uncertainty.
U.S. Researchers Face New Restrictions on Publishing With Foreign Collaborators
Article link | Science | Science | May 2026
Science report on confusion and concern among NIH and NASA grantees facing new restrictions around publication with foreign collaborators.
Trump Fires the Entire National Science Board
Article link | Hiten Madhani / Ben Langmead / science community posts | New York Times | May 2026
Article discussed by multiple science accounts about the dismissal of the National Science Board, the advisory body for the National Science Foundation.
The U.S. Administration Dismissed the National Science Board
Article link | Hiten Madhani | New York Times | May 2026
Science-policy post about the dismissal of the National Science Board and its implications for NSF governance.
NIH Powers the Science Behind the Healthcare We Rely On
Article link | Reichow Lab | Science-policy commentary | May 2026
Post frames NIH research funding as foundational to health care, in the context of recent policy disruptions.
N.I.H. Reinstates Employee Put on Leave
Article link | Reichow Lab | New York Times | May 2026
Science-policy article concerning NIH personnel and the broader political struggle over biomedical research institutions.
Freedom of Scientific Inquiry
Article link | Akiko Iwasaki / Nature Reviews Immunology | Nature Reviews Immunology | May 2026
Commentary arguing that open scientific debate is important and that avoiding controversial questions can erode public trust.
Federal Funding, NSF, and Science Governance
Article link | Science-community posts | New York Times / Science-policy reporting | May 2026
Cluster of Bluesky science posts pointing to articles about NSF governance, federal science funding, and the effects of political intervention in research.
Back to work to save science funding
Article link | Astrobites | Bluesky | Apr. 18, 2026 | Article: Astrobites
Overview of proposed NASA and NSF budget cuts and resources for science funding advocacy.
Increasing retention of women in professional astrophysics
Article link | Ava Polzin | Bluesky | Mar. 8, 2026 | Article: arXiv
White paper on retaining women in professional astrophysics and broadening participation in science.
Science Funding Threats and Brain Drain
Article link | Doc Edge | PubMed / science-policy discussion | 2026
Post connects undermining U.S. science with continued scientific brain drain, alongside research links.
