GoKawiilNeil Shubin is an advocate for connecting scientists with the general public.Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press/Alamy
On 1 July, Neil Shubin, a palaeontologist at the University of Chicago in Illinois, began his five-year term as president of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a non-profit society of elected scholars. Shubin is best known for discovering a fossil (Tiktaalik roseae) that represents a ‘missing link’ between sea- and land-dwelling vertebrates, and has authored many popular-science books. He replaces geophysicist Marcia McNutt in the prominent role of academy president.
Trust in science
Shubin will have to navigate upheaval at the NAS, which has faced substantial cuts and political pressure under the administration of US President Donald Trump. The past year has brought contract cancellations and lay-offs for the National Research Council, the operating arm of the NAS, and Republican lawmakers accused the academy of demonstrating partisan bias in its research methods. In response, the NAS members called for strong leadership.
As he takes the helm, Nature asked Shubin about his goals as president, the issues facing the NAS today and how he plans to stand up for science.
What attracted you to the position?
This is a consequential moment for science in America. And it’s a consequential moment for international science — for social, political and geopolitical reasons. Many of the decisions we make could have lasting impacts.
What aspects of your research experience will inform your approach?
I did long-horizon, risky science. We took a bet by looking for fossils and working on DNA. We also developed collaborations — some of them international — to accomplish our goals.
Importantly, my research also took me in two other directions. The first is that it’s very multidisciplinary — encompassing molecular biology, palaeontology, geology, biomechanics and physiology. That interdisciplinarity gave me a sense of the importance of collaboration and applying ideas and methodologies from one field to another.
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