Science agency personnel updates
In early November, Rachel Riley — formerly with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — succeeded Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus as chief of naval research at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). ONR is one of two federal agencies responsible for negotiating indirect cost rates with universities; the other is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Separately, the Trump Administration has renominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Background materials associated with his earlier nomination, known as “Project Athena,” resurfaced in the press ahead of the President’s announcement. In public comments on the proposal, Isaacman highlighted priorities such as increasing mission cadence, reducing costs, and expanding opportunities for academic institutions to participate in research missions.
Education Department announces new agency partnerships
On November 18, the Department of Education (ED) announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), State (State), and Health and Human Services (HHS). According to ED, these agreements are intended to streamline federal education activities, reduce administrative burdens, and support the Administration’s broader effort to return educational responsibilities to states and other federal agencies.
These IAAs collectively shift major functions away from ED, significantly narrowing the Department’s operational footprint. Additional guidance on implementation timelines is expected.
Next Steps:
- Congressional authority required: ED leadership indicated they will work with Congress to codify these reforms, as statutory changes are needed to reassign programs to other agencies. This follows the President’s March executive order seeking to close ED, which raised significant questions about how core functions would be reallocated.
- Current limitations under the CR: ED remains under a continuing resolution through January 30, 2026, which both funds the department at current levels and prohibits the administration from issuing further reduction-in-force notices during this period.
NSF issues reminder on research security requirements
The National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a reminder that several research security policies outlined in its Important Notice No. 149 took effect on December 2, 2025. These requirements include maintaining documentation related to foreign appointments and participation in foreign talent recruitment programs, completing research security training for proposers and senior/key personnel, and institutional certification that campuses do not host or support Confucius Institutes. NSF also released an accompanying FAQ to assist in the implementation process of these policies.
White House launches Genesis Mission to accelerate AI innovation
Through an executive order titled, “Launching the Genesis Mission,” issued by President Trump, the White House is moving forward on the program that aims to accelerate AI-driven research and discovery across federal agencies and scientific institutions. The effort focuses on developing an integrated AI platform that leverages federal scientific datasets and coordinates work across national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and existing research infrastructure. Along with the announcement, Dario Gill, the undersecretary for science at the Department of Energy (DOE) and director of the initiative, and Stanford Professor Kathryn A. Moler released an opinion essay outlining the mission’s goals. Additionally, Gil wrote an open letter to the DOE scientific community detailing plans to advance AI- and quantum-enabled innovation.