Understanding Impacts of Federal Policy on Early Career Scientists

The past year has brought sweeping changes to federal funding for science, with profound consequences for research and the biomedical workforce. Amid such large-scale and immediate disruption, it can be difficult to see the ripple effects, including the personal stories of those studying and working in science today. A series of articles by STAT News, a news outlet focused on health and medicine, aims to bring those stories into focus, spotlighting experiences from university labs across the United States.

In coordination with other science-supporting foundations, the Dana Foundation is helping to fund reporting on the real-time challenges facing students and early-career scientists—a focus that reflects the Foundation’s commitment to developing the next generation of neuroscientists.

At a time when traditional media coverage of science is shrinking and people increasingly turn to influencers and other non-expert sources for information, reporting by subject-matter expert journalists provides a vital, verified account of how policy changes are affecting the research ecosystem. Recent articles from STAT News have documented how disruptions in science funding are driving scientists to leave research, examined the experiences of first-year Ph.D. students, and spotlighted a recent increase in application rejections for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

The grant to STAT News is one of a number of projects supported by the Dana Foundation in response to urgent needs across the science ecosystem. Foundation leadership recognizes that advancing our neuroscience and society mission depends on maintaining key foundations, including public trust, credible communication, science-informed policymaking, and a sustained research workforce.