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The chief of the US National Science Foundation, an agency of $ 9 billion responsible for advancing the discoveries through the scientific spectrum, resigned Thursday in the midst of scanning changes led by the current Trump administration.
The director of the NSF, Sethuraman Panchanathan, led the agency since he was selected by President Donald Trump during his first mandate and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in June 2020.
“I believe that I have done everything I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and think that it is time for me to transmit the stick to a new leadership,” Panchanathan said during the separation remarks, which were provided Thursday by an agency spokesperson.
The director’s departure comes as the National Science Foundation is struggling with the requests of the new Trump and Doge administration, or the government ministry, an effort established in January to reduce public spending.
“It is a central moment for our nation in terms of global competitiveness,” Panchanathan said in the press release. “NSF is an extremely important investment to make us scientific domination a reality. We must not lose our competitive advantage. ”
The Federal Agency announced earlier this month That he would cancel Hundreds of subsidies totaling more than $ 230 million. The endings included – without limiting itself – research linked to “diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and disinformation / disinformation”, according to information released by the NSF.
The Trump administration has published a series of decrees earlier this year, asking the federal agencies to stop activities related to the promotion of Dei.
The canceled subsidies included those entitled with sentences such as “racial equity in the STEM”, “leadership of anti -racist teachers” and “advance gender equity in computer science”.
But the list too Understood Other subjects, such as the “propagation of unfounded information” and “approach the integrity of vaccine information”.
In an article on canceled subsidies, the NSF said that funding for disinformation was interrupted to comply with Trump’s decree on January 20 to “restore freedom of expression”.
The agency said it do “Do not support research in order to fight” disinformation “,” disinformation “and malinformation ” which could be used to infringe on speech rights protected by the constitution of American citizens in the United States in a way that advances a favorite story on important questions of public debate.”
The changes have caused the umbrella of various research organizations and stakeholders.
In response to executive decrees and other internal changes to the NSF, some of which have taken place since the arrival of DOGE in mid-April, the researchers have been invited to ensure that funding requests comply with the speed change directives.
This guide put scientists in the middle of a political showdown, wasting a time and precious resources “, according to an April 24 statement of the federation of associations in behavioral and brain sciences.
“NSF has a process tested to assess the intellectual merit and the broader impact of the proposed surveys and FabBS encourages the NSF to honor it,” said the Federation Declaration.
The National Science Foundation can also face scanning reductions in its workforce of around 1,500 people, echoing the way Doge required a reduction in force, or Rif, through many federal agencies.
The NSF was created in 1950 and is responsible for assessing the scientific merit of subsidies of grants and distributing dollars – mainly to universities and other research institutions – to advance the understanding of scientists of a wide range of subjects, including artificial intelligence and the fundamental functioning of the cosmos.