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.
NewsChina’s scientific rise is being driven by returning expertise – especially chemists
Top performing chemists are increasingly likely to go back to China, analysis find
ResearchButterfly-inspired structural colours could replace synthetic pigments
Inspired by nature, chemists in the US are working to create vibrant, long-lasting and safer colours that could be used in food, cosmetics and paints
NewsHideki Shirakawa, who shared chemistry Nobel for discovering conductive polymers, passes away at 90
Collaboration with Alan MacDiarmid and Alan Heeger on doped polyacetylenes ushered in new field of electronics
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Pioneering x-ray crystallographer changed the way science understood ribosomes and protein synthesis
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Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel prizes, on how the annual parody science award show began and how it’s changing
OpinionSarah O’Connor: ‘There’s nothing that matches that thrill of discovery’
The natural product chemist talks growing up in New York, her dad’s late pursuit of a PhD, and her journey to plant chemistry and to Germany
ResearchThe twisted chemistry of Narwhal tusks
Narwhal tusks grow in distinctive shape due to opposing chiral collagen fibrils
News30 US universities ordered to audit foreign research partnerships
Pentagon says review must be finished by the end of August to maintain federal funding
BusinessPfizer’s green chemistry team turns 25
What began as a grassroots initiative has become embedded across Pfizer’s research and manufacturing operations, helping reshape processes from Viagra to Paxlovid
NewsAnthony Fauci found in contempt of Congress with case sent to Department of Justice
Senate panel vote could see key scientific figure in the US efforts to combat Covid-19 sent to prison
BusinessJ&J proposes $5.5 billion settlement deal for talc cancer lawsuits
Deal would resolve 76,000 cases of women claiming talc caused ovarian cancer
NewsTop US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci could be held in contempt of Congress
Central figure in country’s fight against Covid-19 refuses to answer Senate panel’s question, accusing chairman of ‘unhinged obsession’
NewsIs the US witnessing the start of a brain drain of chemists to China?
Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi is the latest prominent chemist to leave for China and his high-profile departure may signal growing unease
NewsUS National Science Foundation putting $380 million into building ‘self-driving’ labs
North Carolina State is one of the institutes receiving a $20 million grant aims to advance an autonomous chemistry lab
Business2024 Bio-Lab fire and chemical plume caused by improper chemical storage
Investigation finds site was storing almost double its rated capacity of reactive pool chemicals
NewsNew four-year US student visa limit could force international research PhDs to leave country mid-programme
Department of Homeland Security rule ends 45-year policy that allowed students to stay past their visa to finish their studies
NewsChemistry Nobel laureate Rudy Marcus passes away just before turning 103
Theoretical chemist who came up with one of his most important ideas in a just month also mentored more than 100 young researchers
News‘Losing an entire generation of scientific talent’: top US universities accepted 15% fewer PhDs
Analysis of 55 research unis also reveals a 21% decline in applications from foreign students to US doctoral programmes for the coming year
BusinessNew York state sues chemical companies over PFAS pollution
Lawsuit alleges 3M, Chemours, DuPont and others knowingly sold polluting products, and seeks damages and cleanup cost payments
BusinessDeadly ammonium nitrate explosion in China
Two dead after truck carrying explosive chemical collided with another vehicle