Leslie Rissler
@ljrissler.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biologist | @DEB @NSF | Fighter for Science and Scientists | Former Prof of Bio @Univ AL, Postdoc @UC Berkeley, PhD @UVA | More than just science, but science is my love (views always my own)
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
As one of those federal employees, I couldn’t agree more.
“Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.”
“Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.”
Harm to SNAP recipients, federal workers, and others is real. In a normal democracy it’d make sense to prioritize reducing that harm in the short term.
In a rapidly backsliding democracy, harm is happening no matter what. Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.
In a rapidly backsliding democracy, harm is happening no matter what. Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.
two contradictory ideas that i hold in my head at the same time: 1) i think the threat to both SNAP recipients and federal workers is significant enough now that even bad deals are worth making to prevent further harm, and, 2) everyone who caves now should retire in shame
November 10, 2025 at 11:48 AM
As one of those federal employees, I couldn’t agree more.
“Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.”
“Preventing authoritarian consolidation is the most harm-reducing move.”
Way to go, Virginia!
Spanberger wins!
Spanberger wins!
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Way to go, Virginia!
Spanberger wins!
Spanberger wins!
“So basically, we swear we’re going to follow Trump’s policies, which is ridiculous,” the HHS employee, who was granted anonymity, told the outlet.
Federal workers must now 'clearly' show support for Trump on year-end reviews: report
The Trump administration has added a new requirement to its performance reviews this year that requires workers in the Department of Health and Human Services to produce evidence that they “clearly an...
www.rawstory.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:17 PM
“So basically, we swear we’re going to follow Trump’s policies, which is ridiculous,” the HHS employee, who was granted anonymity, told the outlet.
Old Town Alexandria
October 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Old Town Alexandria
NSF’s doors will be closed at 1:30 pm today. While you may be able to submit things, there will be no staff to process anything. In fact it is illegal for us to even open our work computers or email during a shutdown. A very few rotators may be able to communicate, so check out of office responses.
Navigating A Government Shutdown: One-Stop Resource Page
As of 12:01 AM on October 1, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have shut down the government.
raskin.house.gov
October 1, 2025 at 5:56 AM
NSF’s doors will be closed at 1:30 pm today. While you may be able to submit things, there will be no staff to process anything. In fact it is illegal for us to even open our work computers or email during a shutdown. A very few rotators may be able to communicate, so check out of office responses.
Reposted by Leslie Rissler
New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget.
Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.
Report: osf.io/e8rnc
a 🧵
Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.
Report: osf.io/e8rnc
a 🧵
September 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget.
Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.
Report: osf.io/e8rnc
a 🧵
Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.
Report: osf.io/e8rnc
a 🧵
Reposted by Leslie Rissler
My quote of the day
September 15, 2025 at 11:15 AM
My quote of the day
Reposted by Leslie Rissler
If there’s one thing that I have learned from engaging with primary sources, it is that people in the past weren’t smarter or more principled than we are today they just weren’t drowned in omnipresent propaganda and/or prosperous enough to be detached from material conditions
September 3, 2025 at 5:21 AM
If there’s one thing that I have learned from engaging with primary sources, it is that people in the past weren’t smarter or more principled than we are today they just weren’t drowned in omnipresent propaganda and/or prosperous enough to be detached from material conditions
“This Executive Order is nothing short of obscene," said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). "In what world does Donald Trump think that Americans want political appointees – who, need I remind the President, are unelected bureaucrats – making decisions on what science gets funded?”
Ranking Member Lofgren Calls Trump Out for Corrupt Executive Order Requiring Political Appointees to Approve Federal Grants | House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
democrats-science.house.gov
August 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
“This Executive Order is nothing short of obscene," said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). "In what world does Donald Trump think that Americans want political appointees – who, need I remind the President, are unelected bureaucrats – making decisions on what science gets funded?”
“Federal workers can hold prayer circles with members of the public and tell colleagues to rethink their religious beliefs, according to new guidance the Trump administration released...” 🤯
Well as long as I can tell people to rethink their religious beliefs, I’m good. Thanks for the reminder.
Well as long as I can tell people to rethink their religious beliefs, I’m good. Thanks for the reminder.
Trump administration reminds federal employees they can proselytize in the office
Supervisors can solicit employees to attend their church, OPM says in new guidance.
www.govexec.com
July 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
“Federal workers can hold prayer circles with members of the public and tell colleagues to rethink their religious beliefs, according to new guidance the Trump administration released...” 🤯
Well as long as I can tell people to rethink their religious beliefs, I’m good. Thanks for the reminder.
Well as long as I can tell people to rethink their religious beliefs, I’m good. Thanks for the reminder.
NSF’s Union President epitomizes moral leadership. I’m proud to have him as a colleague and friend.
Jesús Soriano, union leader in the scientific rebellion against Trump: ‘You’ll go to a restaurant and won’t know if the meat is contaminated or not’
The Spanish doctor, of the US National Science Foundation, is the only employee to put his full name to a letter against the dismantling of the government agency
english.elpais.com
July 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
NSF’s Union President epitomizes moral leadership. I’m proud to have him as a colleague and friend.
The best week of my summers is spent doing this grant workshop, sometimes in VA and sometimes in CO. It’s always filled with amazing people, and I am inspired by you!
Y'all, I just did this and it was total bliss, a terrifyingly immersive write-a-thon, full of excellent people, massively educational... And I wrote a whole-ass draft from scratch! 5 stars.
July 27, 2025 at 1:56 AM
The best week of my summers is spent doing this grant workshop, sometimes in VA and sometimes in CO. It’s always filled with amazing people, and I am inspired by you!
Letter to Representative Lofgren - Appeal to Defend Civil Service Protections and the Mission of the NSF
democrats-science.house.gov
July 22, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Letter to Representative Lofgren - Appeal to Defend Civil Service Protections and the Mission of the NSF
“More than 140 employees of the National Science Foundation have signed a letter denouncing what they described as efforts to undermine one of the country’s main science funding agencies. … Out of fear of retaliation, all but one of the employees’ signatures are redacted.”
Amid Fear of Retaliation, N.S.F. Workers Sign Letter of Dissent
www.nytimes.com
July 22, 2025 at 11:14 PM
“More than 140 employees of the National Science Foundation have signed a letter denouncing what they described as efforts to undermine one of the country’s main science funding agencies. … Out of fear of retaliation, all but one of the employees’ signatures are redacted.”
Today!
A focus on the futures we will lose if the WH continues to dismantle research across agencies spanning the EPA, DHS, NIH, NSF, USAID, and DoD (via NASA Watch).
When: Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn House Office Building
nasawatch.com/congress/con...
When: Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn House Office Building
nasawatch.com/congress/con...
Congressional Event: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants
The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants.
nasawatch.com
July 8, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Today!
Started the day by reading the Declaration of Independence.
Happy 4th - the original No Kings Day 🇺🇸
Happy 4th - the original No Kings Day 🇺🇸
He has refused his Assent to Laws…
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world…
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury…
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences…
A Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world…
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury…
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences…
A Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
July 4, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Started the day by reading the Declaration of Independence.
Happy 4th - the original No Kings Day 🇺🇸
Happy 4th - the original No Kings Day 🇺🇸
Another day testing the limits of resilience.
The Alexandria NSF building was designed for the NSF merit review process (gold standard), complete with a floor devoted to panels.
Now we aren’t allowed to have in person panels.
The loss of US science leadership will haunt this country for decades.
The Alexandria NSF building was designed for the NSF merit review process (gold standard), complete with a floor devoted to panels.
Now we aren’t allowed to have in person panels.
The loss of US science leadership will haunt this country for decades.
‘This is bull——”: National Science Foundation employees protest HUD's takeover
Dozens of National Science Foundation employees crowded the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday to protest the news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, w...
www.nbcwashington.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Another day testing the limits of resilience.
The Alexandria NSF building was designed for the NSF merit review process (gold standard), complete with a floor devoted to panels.
Now we aren’t allowed to have in person panels.
The loss of US science leadership will haunt this country for decades.
The Alexandria NSF building was designed for the NSF merit review process (gold standard), complete with a floor devoted to panels.
Now we aren’t allowed to have in person panels.
The loss of US science leadership will haunt this country for decades.
HUD has been touring the building for months. NSF says nothing…”nothing to see here”.
I’m quite sick of gaslighting, bullying, and lack of respect for science and academia. It’s getting harder and harder to take.
I’m quite sick of gaslighting, bullying, and lack of respect for science and academia. It’s getting harder and harder to take.
NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years.
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
June 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
HUD has been touring the building for months. NSF says nothing…”nothing to see here”.
I’m quite sick of gaslighting, bullying, and lack of respect for science and academia. It’s getting harder and harder to take.
I’m quite sick of gaslighting, bullying, and lack of respect for science and academia. It’s getting harder and harder to take.
Join NSF-DOE Vera C.Rubin Observatory team at 11 am EST to see first images from world’s most powerful survey telescope!
youtube.com/live/Zv22_Am...
youtube.com/live/Zv22_Am...
First Images from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory | #RubinFirstLook
YouTube video by Rubin Observatory
youtube.com
June 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Join NSF-DOE Vera C.Rubin Observatory team at 11 am EST to see first images from world’s most powerful survey telescope!
youtube.com/live/Zv22_Am...
youtube.com/live/Zv22_Am...
“The humiliation and censorship of the world's leading scientists and doctors, destroying research grants on a completely arbitrary collection of buzzwords linked to an imagined ‘woke mind virus,’ is a pathetically childish temper tantrum with utterly criminal impacts on the nation ...”.
Jay Bhattacharya is Not the NIH Director
Seventy-Five Days of Embarrassing Ineptitude
open.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 11:13 AM
“The humiliation and censorship of the world's leading scientists and doctors, destroying research grants on a completely arbitrary collection of buzzwords linked to an imagined ‘woke mind virus,’ is a pathetically childish temper tantrum with utterly criminal impacts on the nation ...”.
Reposted by Leslie Rissler
It sickens me that the Trump administration is using antisemitism as a pretext for so much destructive behavior.
This is cynical and disingenuous.
Don't fall for it.
/fin
This is cynical and disingenuous.
Don't fall for it.
/fin
June 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
It sickens me that the Trump administration is using antisemitism as a pretext for so much destructive behavior.
This is cynical and disingenuous.
Don't fall for it.
/fin
This is cynical and disingenuous.
Don't fall for it.
/fin
Old Town Alexandria, VA
No Kings!
No Kings!
June 14, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Old Town Alexandria, VA
No Kings!
No Kings!
“…we need federal leadership that supports, not dismantles, the U.S. science enterprise and whose actions follow a bold positive vision for the future of science. …we must defend scientific integrity not just as a professional obligation, but as a cornerstone of democracy…”
(STAT - 3 free articles)
(STAT - 3 free articles)
Trump’s ‘gold standard’ order is a blueprint for politicizing science
The Trump executive order is not a pathway to a “gold standard” — it is a blueprint for politicizing science and marginalizing expertise, write Jacob Carter and Gretchen Goldman.
www.statnews.com
June 10, 2025 at 10:29 AM
“…we need federal leadership that supports, not dismantles, the U.S. science enterprise and whose actions follow a bold positive vision for the future of science. …we must defend scientific integrity not just as a professional obligation, but as a cornerstone of democracy…”
(STAT - 3 free articles)
(STAT - 3 free articles)
👏🏻👏🏻
New STAT story about NIH rescinding the institution-wide anti-DEI term and condition that had been added to Notices of Award.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/n...
1/n
www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/n...
1/n
NIH walks back ban on new grants for universities with DEI programs or Israel boycotts
The NIH has rescinded a policy requiring recipients of new grants to certify they do not have unlawful DEI programs or boycotts of Israel.
www.statnews.com
June 9, 2025 at 8:41 PM
👏🏻👏🏻