2 weeks Ago By Beth Mole
Director of the National Science Foundation Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly resigned Thursday, Science Magazine first reported. Panchanathan, who goes by Panch, did not cite a reason for his departure, which comes as 16 months are left in his six-year term. However, like most other federal agencies, the scientific funding agency is awash in turmoil due to the Trump administration.
Specifically, the NSF is facing a 55-percent cut to its $9 billion annual budget in the next fiscal year, as well as a mass layoff of half of its 1,700-person staff, according to Science. Earlier this month, the NSF announced that it would be canceling active grants totaling up to $1 billion in scientific research funding. The reason given was that the research the grants funded was no longer a priority for the agency.
They appear to include research focused on environmental justice, the spread of misinformation , and fostering diversity in the scientific community. The New York Times reported earlier this week that it had tallied more than 400 active NSF grants that have been terminated so far. The slashed budget, layoff plans, and cancellation of grants appear to stem from efforts by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
According to Science, DOGE staff set up shop at the NSF on April 14. In a letter sent to NSF staff Thursday, April 24, and obtained by Ars Technica, Panchanathan only hinted at the attack on the agency's research mission and budget cuts. "While NSF has always been an efficient agency, we still took the challenge of identifying other possible efficiencies and reducing our commitments to serve the scientific community even better," Panchanathan wrote.
"This is a pivotal moment for our nation in terms of global competitiveness. NSF is an extremely important investment to make US scientific dominance a reality. We must not lose our competitive edge.
A thoughtful approach to efficiencies and investments is incredibly important." "I believe that I have done all I can to advance the mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership," he wrote. An inside source told Science Magazine that Panchanathan "was trying so hard to present the agency in a positive light.
But at the same time, Panch knew that he was alienating himself from the scientific community by being tone deaf to their growing concerns about the fate of the agency we all love.".
