NASA Climate Scientist Kate Marvel Quits, Citing Attacks on Science

Kate Marvel, a high-profile NASA climate scientist, resigned from the space agency's Earth research division Tuesday, citing in a resignation letter the Trump administration's attacks on science and "upheavals of the past year."

Her letter was addressed to Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and Ron Miller, the institute's deputy director. In it, Marvel wrote: "I never expected that science itself would come under attack, simply because it — like journalism, history, and even the best kind of art — is a way of seeking truth."

Marvel spent seven years as a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University, before which she held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Stanford University. A former cosmologist, she received a PhD in theoretical physics from Cambridge University, where she was a Gates Scholar. Her work identified human influences on present-day cloud cover, rainfall patterns, and drought risk, and she maintained a sustained focus on climate feedback processes and the planet's sensitivity to increased carbon dioxide.

Marvel served on the chapter leadership team of the U.S. Fifth National Climate Assessment, gave a TED talk, appeared on Meet the Press and The Ezra Klein Show, and testified before Congress. She is also the author of the book "Human Nature" and was a regular contributor to Scientific American with her column "Hot Planet," which focused on climate change, covering the science behind global warming, policies, and human efforts in advocacy.

Marvel's departure comes amid sweeping cuts to NASA's science programs. More than 4,000 of NASA's original approximately 17,000 employees have been pushed out through coerced resignations or firings, and the agency has seen the steepest cuts to its science programs and STEM education programs in its history. The White House's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for NASA, adjusted for inflation, would be the lowest since 1961, when Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

Marvel's resignation adds a prominent name to a growing list of scientific departures from the federal government. Her letter, framing the assault on truth-seeking as the central grievance, signals that the damage extends beyond budget lines and into the institutional culture that has underpinned American climate research for decades.