Science Agency Leadership Shakeups Continue

The White House recently announced plans to nominate Jim O’Neill as the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), placing a longtime health policy official and private-sector investor at the helm of the nation’s premier basic science funding agency.

O’Neill most recently served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (see previous coverage). Earlier in his career, O’Neill worked at the Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of George W. Bush. He later moved into the private sector, investing in emerging technologies, including through the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs program, which supports early-stage scientific commercialization.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai highlighted O’Neill’s private-sector experience and his role in the Trump Administration, crediting him with reducing fraud at HHS and prioritizing what he described as rigorous, evidence-based decision-making.

If confirmed, O’Neill would take over an agency that has been without a permanent director since Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned last April amid significant budget pressures, including proposed funding cuts and staff reductions (see previous coverage). NSF Chief of Staff Brian Stone is currently serving as acting NSF Director.

In light of O’Neill’s nomination for the NSF post, the White House also announced that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya will temporarily take on the role of acting CDC Director in addition to leading NIH. Bhattacharya will be the third acting CDC Director since Trump started his second term. The Administration has not yet named their CDC nominee.