
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
Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab and home of Mars rovers loses 10% of its staff
The dismissal of 550 JPL workers is the fourth round of recent layoffs at the lab, prompting fears of a brain drain
- Business
16 dead in US munitions factory explosion
Plant levelled by blast, whose cause remains under investigation
- News
Meet the three scientists who have just won the Nobel prize in chemistry
Learn about the lives of newly minted chemistry Nobel laureates Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi
- News
'No way to unleash US innovation’: more research chaos as the US government shuts down
New research grant awards and proposal reviews have been paused by closure of science agencies
- News
NIH launches new centre in planned move away from animal testing
Biomedical research agency’s new organoid modelling centre will address reproducibility concerns with AI, robotics and human cells
- Opinion
Karl Mueller: ‘I realised I had matured when I started giving away my best ideas’
The director of Ames National Laboratory in the US discusses getting hooked on chemistry via parental inspiration and a benchtop NMR
- Research
US court rules that $1 billion in NSF research grant cuts will not be restored
Lawsuit on behalf of university faculty, graduate students and others continues despite judge’s decision not to issue a preliminary injunction
- News
PFAS spring new surprise as some are far more acidic than thought
The acid dissociation constants for some PFAS are significantly lower than past metrics have indicated, with implications for their persistence and spread
- Research
Nuclear waste might one day be used to create tritium to fuel fusion power plants
Los Alamos National Lab team is modelling the efficiency and cost of reactor designs that can generate tritium from waste
- News
Iupac defends contested project to redefine PFAS
The organisation wants to standardise terminology for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, but some experts fear new definitions could harm environmental protections
- News
Iupac wants its new responsible chemistry principles in undergrad textbooks
Leaders of responsible chemistry initiative argue that the ethical aspects of chemistry belong in university chemistry classrooms alongside green chemistry principles
- Research
A greener approach to finishing fabrics
Cottonseed oil used to confer wrinkle and water resistance
- News
Proposal to limit US student visa durations draws criticism
Academic groups warn that the proposed rule will deter talented researchers, harm the economy and add bureaucracy
- News
Proportion of US students taking chemistry fails to keep pace with other science disciplines
Across Stem fields, chemistry had by far the lowest percentage increase in bachelor’s and PhD attainment between 1997 and 2023, data reveals
- News
American Chemical Society announces new support for at-risk master’s and PhD chemistry students
$2.5 million programme launched to fund 100 students whose PI’s grants were cancelled by the Trump administration
- News
Trump’s latest rule on research grants sidelines scientific merit and adds bureaucracy, academic groups warn
A new White House directive will see political appointees vet federal research funding decisions
- Business
Chemours ordered to immediately limit PFAS emissions into Ohio River
US judge grants injunction to reduce Gen-X discharges from West Virginia plant to permitted levels
- News
‘It’s carnage’: Former NIH director decries Trump administration efforts to slash research spending
Elias Zerhouni tells Chemistry World what’s changed from when he was appointed by a Republican president to the current Trump administration
- News
US government cancels mRNA vaccine research
Experts fear industrial and academic research may move abroad after infectious disease projects cancelled
- Business
DuPont and spin-offs settle with New Jersey over PFAS contamination
Proposed deal with the US state includes $875 million in damages, plus clean-up funds