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Trump Nominee O'Neill Stalls NSF Leadership Amid Retirement

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 3:47 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee James O'Neill has not received a Senate confirmation hearing, leaving NSF leadership uncertain.
Interim NSF director Brian Stone will retire effective December 31, 2026, according to a staff memo.
In April, the Trump administration fired all 22 members of NSF’s science advisory board.
Thousands of researchers signed an open letter calling the firings an “alarming attack” on U.S. science.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee James O'Neill has not received a Senate confirmation hearing, leaving NSF leadership uncertain.
Interim NSF director Brian Stone will retire effective December 31, 2026, according to a staff memo.
In April, the Trump administration fired all 22 members of NSF’s science advisory board.
Thousands of researchers signed an open letter calling the firings an “alarming attack” on U.S. science.