‘Break Free’: Professor Announces Decision to Resign

Institute for Advanced Study Professor Alondra Nelson

Institute for Advanced Study Professor Alondra Nelson has resigned from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council due to political influence disrupting federal institutions. She expressed concerns about barriers to honest dialogue and the erosion of democratic knowledge systems. Nelson noted a shift in the National Science Board's oversight with the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Dr. Alondra Nelson, OSTP Deputy Director for Science and Society

Nelson expressed concern that the department exerts undue influence over grant applications, undermining scientific freedom. Nelson stated, "I have encountered increasing barriers to the exercise of honest counsel."

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Nelson added, "These repeated obstacles of procedural circumvention, particularly insidious to those of us who have long advocated for more democratic and inclusive knowledge systems, represent not just personal frustration, but institutional regression."

Dr. Alondra Nelson (back right)

Nelson said, "That historical tension — between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control — may now be resurfacing in troubling ways."

Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian Of Congress

Nelson stated, "When grant applications are vetoed and whole organizations restructured, the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard."

Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress delivering remarks

Nelson criticized the dismissal of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, viewing it as part of a broader trend targeting women and Black leaders in public service. The firings show an ongoing struggle over control of knowledge dissemination in an increasingly authoritarian environment.

Dr. Alondra Nelson speaking after Joe Biden

Nelson said, "Her dismissal signals more than a routine personnel shift — it reflects a deeper contest over who controls the curation and dissemination of knowledge in the digital age."

Alondra Nelson (left) in the South Court Auditorium

Nelson added, "For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging. My resignation represents such a refusal, not a surrender of responsibility but an assertion of it."

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Nelson has reportedly witnessed DOGE exercising unauthorized power to alter grant approvals and create distractions during important discussions. Nelson wrote, "The aim of my resignation is to break free of powers that seek to limit knowledge and silence voice."

Grace Hall covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.