Kate Marvel, a prominent climate scientist and author who spent years conducting research at NASA, has resigned from the agency, becoming one of the latest high-profile departures from the federal scientific community since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Marvel, who built a significant public profile through her scientific writing and advocacy work on climate change, is among an estimated 95,000 people who have left federal science agencies in the period following Trump's return to power. Her departure marks a significant loss for NASA's climate research division, where she contributed to cutting-edge work on understanding global warming and its broader atmospheric effects.
The exodus of tens of thousands of scientists and researchers from federal agencies has raised serious concerns among the scientific community about the long-term capacity of the United States government to conduct independent climate and environmental research. Critics argue that the departures represent a hollowing out of institutional knowledge that took decades to build.
Marvel had been one of the more publicly recognized faces of federal climate science, known for her ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to general audiences through her writing. Her work helped bridge the gap between academic research and public understanding of climate change, making her resignation a particularly visible signal of the broader trend.
The Trump administration has taken a skeptical stance toward climate science and has moved to reshape federal agencies in ways that have prompted numerous scientists to seek opportunities elsewhere, including in academia, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations. Environmental groups have characterized the wave of departures as a deliberate dismantling of the country's scientific infrastructure.
Marvel's resignation adds to growing concerns that the United States risks ceding its long-held position as a global leader in climate research at a time when scientists worldwide say the urgency of understanding and addressing climate change has never been greater. Her next steps have not yet been publicly announced.
