
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
University of California accused of not honouring contracts negotiated following massive strike
Months after postdocs and researchers won better pay and conditions, many of the promised benefits haven’t materialised
- News
NIH to insist foreign partners share lab notebooks and data
US research funder will require collaborators to give copies of lab notebooks, raw data and more by new year
- Opinion
Karin Markides: ‘I didn’t follow the rules’
The analytical chemist who runs a preeminent Japanese research institute discusses her childhood in Sweden and how she came to chemistry
- News
Europeans’ BPA exposure still exceeds safety threshold but levels may be starting to fall
Europe’s environment agency finds that BPA levels in the urine of 92% of adults from 11 European nations exceeds safe limit
- News
Publishers settle copyright infringement lawsuit with ResearchGate
Elsevier and the American Chemical Society resolve ongoing claims with an automated check on papers’ copyright status
- Business
Lapsed US chemical security programme leaves facilities vulnerable
Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards’ expiry means rules will not be enforced, and companies cannot vet new staff
- News
China considers stripping degrees from academics who misuse AI
Current and former university students in China shown to have used artificial intelligence tools to write dissertations could get degrees revoked
- News
Russia and Belarus uninvited to Nobel prize ceremonies
Backlash prompts Nobel Foundation to backtrack on allowing Russian and Belarusian representatives
- News
UNC Chapel Hill PhD student charged with killing his academic adviser
Applied physical sciences professor Zijie Yan fatally shot on campus
- News
US safety board warns of hurricane threat to chemical facilities
US Federal Energy Reculatory Commission overlooked hurricane threat in guidance governing transmission system planning requirements
- Research
The key compounds responsible for sourdough’s flavour
Researchers in Germany identified 21 tastants and odorants that make sourdough bread so unique
- Research
How human recreation alters river chemistry
Analytical chemists identify cocaine, pharmaceuticals and sunscreen ingredients in a Colorado river
- Research
3D printing turns plant proteins into seafood alternative
New vegan food product claimed to replicate the flavour, texture and nutritional content of calamari
- News
Dispute over formaldehyde toxicity assessment escalates
US scientific academy finds EPA’s review linking formaldehyde to cancer is supported by evidence, chemical industry pushes back with lawsuit
- Research
Space dust has more organic contamination than the average US home
First ever analysis of persistent organic chemicals in the International Space Station’s air could guide future spacecraft design
- News
Scientists hope to illuminate unknown human proteins with new public database
‘Unknome’ database contains thousands of understudied proteins
- News
Scientists of Chinese descent leaving the US at an accelerating pace
Researchers of Chinese descent are leaving the US 75% faster since state-backed espionage investigations began in 2018
- Business
Biogen to cut 1000 more jobs by 2025
Biotech giant has also agreed to buy Reata Pharmaceuticals for $7.3 billion
- News
Mobile mass spec provides new insight into pollutants released by East Palestine train derailment
Acrolein levels at Norfolk Southern train derailment site in late February were up to six times higher than normal
- News
US Chemical Safety Board’s former head accused of improper payments
Former CSB chairwoman Katherine Lemos found to have racked up about $100,000 in unallowable charges, urged to reimburse the agency