The Trump administration has fired every member of the National Science Board, an independent advisory body that oversees the National Science Foundation. Members received notice Friday evening by email.
The move is the latest shakeup at NSF under the Trump administration. The agency last year froze or canceled more than 1,500 research grants constituting over $1 billion in funding. It also lost around a third of its employees amid widespread layoffs and staff reductions.
Former NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, resigned in April 2025. Trump has nominated Jim O’Neill, an investor and former official at the Department of Health and Human Services. O’Neill has not yet appeared before Congress for a confirmation hearing, but his appointment has been criticized by members of the scientific community because they say he lacks advanced scientific training or experience managing a large research institution.
The White House has proposed cutting NSF’s funding by more than 50 percent in its budget request for fiscal 2027. Last year, the White House called for similar cuts, which Congress ultimately rejected in the spending bill it passed in January.
