Director of the National Science Foundation Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly resigned Thursday, Science Magazine first reported.Panchanathan, who goes by Panch, did not cite a reason for his departure, which comes as 16 months are left in his six-year term.
However, like most other federal agencies, the scientific funding organization is awash in turmoil due to the Trump administration.
Specifically, the NSF is facing a 55 percent cut to its $9 billion annual budget in the next fiscal year, as well as a mass layoff of half of its 1,700-person staff, according to Science.A memo sent to staff on Thursday, April 24, and obtained by Ars Technica confirmed that the NSF is in for significant cuts.
It offered staff a second chance at the deal offered in the earlier "fork in the road" email, allowing them to go on paid leave in return for departing the foundation before October.
Anyone who stays will face "future restructuring, staffing reductions, and constrained budget environments." The changes are expected to "constrain future opportunities" within the NSF.Earlier this month, the NSF announced that it would be canceling active grants totaling up to $1 billion in scientific research funding.
The reason given was that the research the grants funded was no longer a priority for the agency.
They appear to include research focused on environmental justice, the spread of misinformation, and fostering diversity in the scientific community.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that it had tallied more than 400 active NSF grants that have been terminated so far.