
Rebecca Trager
Senior US correspondent, Chemistry World
I became the US Correspondent for Chemistry World in September 2014, based out of Washington, DC, after writing for the magazine on a freelance basis since 2007. With a background in policy, and a passion for journalism, I have found my niche covering the world of science policy since 1997. The interest was sparked after spending summers during college as a press intern for the National Institutes of Health. Before joining Chemistry World, I was the US Editor for Research Europe, covering the White House, as well as government departments and US agencies, and am also the former managing editor of The Blue Sheet, an Elsevier biomedical research and health policy publication. I studied philosophy and political theory at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
- News
Europe offers refuge to America’s researchers
Schemes seek to attract top scientific talent from the US as Trump cuts research funding, attacks universities
- Business
Bayer ordered to pay more than $2 billion to US cancer victim
Jury decided glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide caused cancer, but company will appeal
- News
NIH sparks concern by singling out mRNA vaccine research for added scrutiny
The Department of Health and Human Services denies mRNA research faces defunding but scientists are still worried
- News
Bill to ban all Chinese nationals from receiving US student visas causes alarm
Legislation’s sponsor claims it will prevent espionage, but there are warnings it will harm US competitiveness
- Business
US reviews chemical incident prevention planning rules
Risk Management Program has been extended and rolled back under successive governments
- News
Fears China, Russia are trying to poach fired US government scientists
America’s rivals are trying to capitalise on what they see as a ‘vulnerable’ moment of mass federal layoffs at science agencies
- Business
US drops chloroprene emissions lawsuit against Denka
Government says lawsuit stretched legal definitions in pursuit of ‘environmental justice’
- News
NIH plan to centralise peer review could mean ‘substantial loss of expertise’
Agency says move will save money and reduce bias, but researchers are concerned about associated staff reductions
- News
American Chemical Society diversity programme comes under attack
Lawsuit argues that ACS’ Scholars Program discriminates against white and Asian applicants
- Business
New Trump tariffs worry North American chemical industries
High duties on imports from Canada, Mexico and China raise problems for international supply chains
- Opinion
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on
Rebecca Trager catches up with four chemists to see how their working lives have changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic
- Opinion
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Krystle McLaughlin
An assistant chemistry professor at a small college in New York gets her career back on track, thanks to a tenure clock extension and teaching release
- Opinion
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Anya Gryn’ova
A computational chemist has moved from being group leader at a German research institute to an associate computational chemistry prof in the UK
- Opinion
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Liang Zhang
Lockdown gave a young chemistry professor in China the space and time to consider the most worthwhile projects, and that has benefited his team
- Opinion
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Lee Cronin
A University of Glasgow chemist describes how Covid-19 helped establish the principle of chemputation and spur a chemistry revolution
- News
University of Akron proposes merging chemistry-related programmes
Plan to combine polymer science with chemical engineering and chemistry departments provokes criticism
- Feature
Melanie Sanford’s route from college gymnast to groundbreaking researcher
One-time gymnast Melanie Sanford has made a name for herself in catalysis and organometallic chemistry. Rebecca Trager charts her path to success, from her mentors to her mentoring
- News
Last time Congress saved science from Trump’s cuts. Don’t bet on it this time
Trump administration has taken charge of the purse strings
- News
Trump’s former science adviser urges universities to seize moment for regulatory reform
White House is ‘very keen’ on rolling back administrative workload and that could serve researchers well, Kelvin Droegemeier claims
- News
Online chemistry poster conference continues to grow as it hits 10th anniversary
Royal Society of Chemistry’s virtual event aims to surpass poster numbers from previous years