Adriana Bankston
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abankston.bsky.social
Adriana Bankston
@abankston.bsky.social
Advocate for scientific research and innovation at the federal level. #Govrelations expertise. Worked in #Congress. Prior: @uofcalifornia.bsky.social @sfn.org. #researchpolicy #STEMworkforce #futureofSTEM

http://adrianabankston.com
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Thanks @aaas-stpf.bsky.social for this fellowships focus article in the latest newsletter detailing my recently concluded year in #Congress with @repbillfoster.bsky.social! Read more: bit.ly/4gt0OsW @asgct.bsky.social @aaas.org #scipol
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
In a new special issue, Science’s news reporters take stock of the impacts that Trump's year in office has had on research and the scientific workforce, forecast what lies ahead, and assess the scientific community’s efforts to mitigate or reverse the harms. https://scim.ag/4pPtks0
January 22, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.

Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains
A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
US researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.

go.nature.com/4sPKR61
‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers
Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.
go.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
The National Quantum Initiative has delivered—driving U.S. innovation, startups, jobs & global leadership in quantum tech. But staying ahead means sustained investment & moving breakthroughs from lab to market. Bipartisan NQI reauthorization is the next step.
www.commerce.senate.gov/2026/1/cantw...
Cantwell, Young, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ben Ray Luján...
www.commerce.senate.gov
January 8, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
The U.S. Congress has delivered another rebuke of President Donald Trump’s plans to slash this year’s budgets of several science agencies. https://scim.ag/49G7Zwe
Congress set to reject Trump’s major budget cuts to NSF, NASA, and energy science
Appropriators agree instead to keep this year’s spending nearly level
www.science.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Scientists belong in policy conversations. @abankston.bsky.social shares how she used her scientific training to shape decisions in Congress—and why federal research advocacy matters at every career stage. Read more: buff.ly/YkGH3Bd
January 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
To mark the occasion, FAS CEO Daniel Correa spoke with @sgrodriques.bsky.social and @adammarblestone.bsky.social about how best to run a Tech Lab/FRO-style org, what they've learned, and the role federal funding can play:
fas.org/publication/...
NSF Wants To Supercharge FROs. We Spoke With the Scientists Who Proposed Them.
We recently spoke with Adam Marblestone and Sam Rodriques, former FAS fellows who developed the idea for FROs and advocated for their use in a 2020 policy memo.
fas.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:49 PM
At #IFORE25 we discussed the importance of international #PhDs in the #STEM #workforce, challenges and opportunities for #policy change, and how the #braindrain can impact retention of U.S. #scientific #talent. Missed the talk? Watch it here: bit.ly/4rLLCwj. @sonali-m-19.bsky.social
December 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
China is redrawing the global science map

go.nature.com/4iLtoas
China’s scientific clout is growing as US influence wanes: the data show how
An analysis of international research collaborations reveals the growing dominance of Chinese science.
go.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Trump has "shaken the hell" out of the 80-year research pact between the government and universities. What now?
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/a...
Trump has ‘shaken the hell’ out of the 80-year research pact between the government and universities. What now?
Trump has "shaken the hell" out of the 80-year research pact between the government and universities. What now?
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Since Trump took office, the US Is funding fewer grants in every area of science and medicine or 41 % below average

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Battles between the Trump administration and academic institutions are putting important biomedical advances in limbo.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/trump-harvard-funding-biomedical
Funding chaos may unravel decades of biomedical research
Battles between the Trump administration and academic institutions are putting important biomedical advances in limbo.
www.sciencenews.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
"By successfully integrating [AI] into research workflows, researchers could substantially increase scientific productivity … the US Genesis Mission sparks a critical conversation about how to realize this potential," write Darío Gil and Kathryn Moler in a #ScienceEditorial. https://scim.ag/3XVrZUN
November 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
@uofcalifornia.bsky.social System Reverses Decision to End Incentives for Postdoc Program Hires https://bit.ly/49ZWrVa

#EDUSky #HigherEd #AcademicSky
November 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
We look at what comes next for science as the US government shutdown ends

go.nature.com/4oPgeLq
The US government shutdown is over: what’s next for scientists
Government researchers are heading back to work, but questions about the size of research-budget cuts will extend into next year.
go.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Curious how scientists influence policy? Join @abankston.bsky.social on Nov 13, 12–1 p.m. EST, for "From the lab to the legislature" and learn how your research experience can drive change in Congress. Register now: buff.ly/kDO5sln 🔗
October 29, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Career Advice | From Training to Thriving: Building Systems That Support International Scientists

Universities and professional organizations can take practical steps to remove systemic barriers faced by international Ph.D. students and postdocs in their career planning. https://bit.ly/3LuxbfE
November 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
The pipeline for Ph.D.s out of U.S. universities is shrinking www.axios.com/2025/10/26/p...
The pipeline for Ph.D.s out of U.S. universities is shrinking
America graduates more Ph.D.s than any other country. They go on to invent things, cure diseases and win Nobel Prizes. But admission slots are disappearing.
www.axios.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Some doctoral programmes in the US are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding

go.nature.com/4o63boK
US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold
Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.
go.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for the next two years.

William C. Mao and Veronica H. Paulus report.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for…
www.thecrimson.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
A study imagined NIH with 40% less funding. The result? More than half of FDA-approved drugs since 2000 might not exist. Basic research dollars have real-world impact.
buff.ly/CIfauh4
Science costs money – research is guided by who funds it and why
The federal government is more likely to fund curiosity-driven basic research, while industry is more likely to support research that has a clearer eventual payoff.
buff.ly
October 5, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Even if the cuts were reversed today, former OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar said the Trump administration’s “destruction” will have yearslong impact. via @madialder.bsky.social fedscoop.com/ex-ostp-dire...
Ex-OSTP director: Trump funding cuts are ‘assault’ on public research investment
Even if the cuts were reversed today, former OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar said the Trump administration’s “destruction” will have yearslong impact.
fedscoop.com
October 16, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Adriana Bankston
Two Nobel-winning economists are moving to Europe from an elite US university, becoming the latest academics to leave the country during Donald Trump’s second term

#AcademicSky #highered
Married Nobel prize-winning economists move from US to Europe
Other recent departures from Trump’s America include expert on antifascism who fled to Spain after receiving death threats
www.timeshighereducation.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:58 AM