President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Stone, James O’Neill, has yet to have a confirmation hearing in the Senate, leaving the future leadership of the NSF unclear
By Adam Kovac edited by Claire Cameron
Seal of the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C.
JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
The interim head of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Brian Stone, is set to retire as soon as the end of this year, according to reports. There is no clear plan for a successor to steer the agency because President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the NSF, James O'Neill, has yet to have a confirmation hearing in the Senate.
Stone, who has led the agency since the spring of last year, will resign effective December 31, according to a memo that was sent to NSF staff on Tuesday and was obtained by journalist Dan Garisto. In the note, Stone reportedly wrote that he would be “working closely with the White House to identify who will perform the duties of the NSF Director as of January 1, 2027, should Mr. O’Neill’s nomination still be pending at that time.”
In a statement to Scientific American, NSF spokesperson Mike England appeared to confirm Stone’s upcoming retirement but did not confirm whether he would be leaving at the end of 2026.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Stone had “served the U.S. National Science Foundation and the American people with distinction for 26 years, including over the past 18 months while performing the duties of NSF Director,” England said in the statement. “His leadership has been instrumental in advancing NSF's mission, and we thank him for his decades of dedicated public service. Brian will continue to perform the duties of the Director until his retirement and NSF will announce any future leadership updates as they are available.”
The reported memo also indicated that acting NSF chief of staff Rebecca Keiser will depart as well. England did not confirm or deny this reporting.
Stone has led the NSF on an interim basis since April 2025, after the resignation of the agency’s previous director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, who was appointed during the first Trump presidency in 2019. Panchanathan’s departure came amid Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service cuts, which saw mass staff firings, resignations and axes to grant funding. A staff member of the NSF for more than 25 years, Stone had previously spent 10 years as the agency’s chief of staff.
Stone’s imminent departure comes at a moment of turbulence at the top of the NSF. This past April the Trump administration fired all 22 members of the agency’s science advisory board—these positions are appointed by the president and serve staggered six-year terms. The advisers play a critical role in determining how the NSF disperses the roughly $9 billion in funding it doles out annually. The firings were widely criticized by the scientific community, with thousands of researchers signing an open letter that said it constituted an “alarming attack” on U.S. science. No new board members have since been named .
Editor’s Note (10/21/26): This is a developing news story and may be updated.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber