BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society denounces the Administration’s termination of the National Science Board (NSB) en masse on Friday, April 24. The board, deliberately designed to avoid partisan political influence, plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. science and engineering policy, guiding investments that drive innovation and economic growth. It also provides oversight and strategic direction for the NSF, ensuring the societal benefits of fundamental research. The National Science Foundation Act created both the agency and oversight Board and intentionally established rotating six-year terms to ensure consistent support for the work being done by the $9 billion agency.

With the departure of Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan more than a year ago, combined with the wholesale dismissal of the board, the NSF now stands without the leadership and oversight Congress intended. A weak NSF jeopardizes STEM research and development, which are critical to the U.S.’s ability to be a world leader in science and technology.

This apparent attempt to strip an agency of all authority to act in the nation’s scientific interest, while sidestepping Congress, cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must intervene and reinstate the NSB immediately and put pressure on the White House to nominate a qualified candidate to lead the NSF.

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The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific society established to lead an innovative global community working at the interface of the physical and life sciences, across all levels of complexity, and to foster the dissemination of that knowledge. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its Annual Meeting, publications, and outreach activities. Its 6,000 members are located throughout the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry.