Jeffrey Alexander | Lightnews

Jeff Alexander

@techiewonk.bsky.social

760 followers 490 following 140 posts

Director, Innovation Policy @rti.bsky.social (the Research Triangle Institute). Unapologetic wonk at the intersection of #sciencepolicy, #innovation, and strategy. Ask me about R&D evaluation, innovation metrics, horizon scanning, & cocktails. .. more

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Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 1d

The staffing shortage can be intentional as well. One way to strangle science is to cut decision-making capacity.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 1d

Any other #aaasmtg attendees who were wondering what happened to the Science Policy Shindig (or wonder what it is), see below!

Sarah Rovito @sarahrovito.bsky.social · 1d

Join us TONIGHT (Friday, February 13) for the #AAASmtg #AAAS2026 Science Policy Shindig taking place from 8:30 to 11:30pm at Dust Cutter in the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. You do not have to be registered for the Annual Meeting to attend, all are welcome! #scipol #scicomm #sciengage

A large hotel conference room with a man at a podium and several speakers sitting on stage. There are screens on either side of the speakers that say “2026 ESEP Science Policy Town Hall.” The room is decently full.

Reposted by Jeffrey Alexander

Sarah Rovito @sarahrovito.bsky.social · 1d

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 2d

The $ figures are adjusted for inflation. BUT the type and structure of industry-funded science is very different from the federally-supported science. We need to understand what this means for the future of our research system.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 2d

Not sure how widely this point from @aaas.org President Maldonado is understood. The converging top lines are spending on basic research by the US gov’t and below it, industry. They are now equal, results of a trend over the last decade. #aaasmtg

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks to @sarahrovito.bsky.social you can subscribe to a feed of Bluesky posts from the meeting: bsky.app/profile/did:...

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 3d

Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Someone invited him to speak at a graduation & supposedly he said he never wanted to set foot in my high school ever again.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 3d

@aaas.org How about naming an official hashtag so Annual Meeting people can find each other? #aaasmtg #aaas2026 #aaasmeeting

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 10d

Ok seriously, WTF? The Fact Book is one of the most useful government reports published.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you for the link and for letting me know that First Monday still exists! I remember reading the first issue

Reposted by Karen R. Lips, Richard M. Carpiano

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 23d

My colleague Ivy Estabrooke and I from @rti.bsky.social penned an editorial for @science.org on some of the potential implications if U.S. state governments boost funding of scientific #research as federal funding declines: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... (not paywalled). #scipol #sciencepolicy

States pioneer a new frontier in US science funding

Thirty-five years ago, a survey of university faculty concluded that despite relatively stable public funding, the research environment in the United States had deteriorated to the point that “a major...

www.science.org

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Jan 12

Ugh. Saw Manitou at a D&D convention as a middle schooler in Oakland. Messed up my sleep for weeks

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Jan 10

To paraphrase William Gibson, fascism is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Jan 9

Glad I was paying attention in my undergrad Intro to Int’l Relations class. Really coming in handy in ways I never imagined when I was 18.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Jan 8

Considering the fate of the Raiders, the Golden State Warriors, and the A’s, Oakland’s primary export appears to be professional sports teams

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Jeffrey Alexander

Alessandra Zimmermann @alesszimm.bsky.social · Jan 5

I come back from my winter PTO and day one Congress drops the text of a minibus. The dashboard has been updated with the Senate Homeland numbers, and all the info in the CJS-Int-E&W minibus. A House vote is scheduled tomorrow night, and Senate likely later this week.

www.aaas.org/news/fy-2026...

FY 2026 R&D Appropriations Dashboard | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

www.aaas.org

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 30

This is one of the big costs of malfeasance. Things that would not be done by politicians acting in (relative) good faith now have to be legislated and regulated, which will consume time and resources that could be devoted to constructive policymaking.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 23

Note that the “World’s Top 2% of Scientists” list has no connection to Stanford University or any other institution.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 23

Keep in mind that CRS is a research branch in the Library of Congress and has no investigative or oversight powers (unlike GAO). This report at most indicates that some member of Congress asked for information about NIH awards.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 23

I’m torn about this kind of thing. The Science of Science working group has been in planning for a while—pre-dating the current administration. While I don’t at all assume the current leaders act in good faith, we need people in the group who can bear witness to what is discussed.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 5

It states that those are current US assets, but does not advocate for investing in them—or even for retaining them. The strategy focuses on military dominance and realpolitik as the operational assets (in Trumpworld).

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Dec 5

In many cases when I’ve asked a “stupid” question, people later tell me that they were wondering the same thing.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Nov 27

This was in Brazil last week.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Nov 14

And they subpoenaed the Epstein estate because a lawyer for the victims went on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show and said that doing so would enable them to get around DOJ’s intransigence. Masterful move.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Oct 26

Truth.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Oct 21

Umm…the timescale of these investments are NOT similar. GenAI infrastructure investment (based on announcements) is supposedly happening over a much shorter period

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Oct 18

Happened when DHS was created after 9/11

Reposted by Michael Kevane, Jeffrey Alexander, Leah Stokes , and 1 more Michael Kevane, Jeffrey Alexander, Leah Stokes, David Darmofal

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · Oct 18

Based on early numbers, there are easily more people participating in the second No Kings Day than in the first. Trump's strategy of constantly talking about this on TV and GOP govs sending in the national guard obviously energized the left. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

20251018_No Kings Day 2 Protests Unofficial Attendance Crowdsourcing

docs.google.com

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Oct 12

I would totally bet that they had grok rewrite the code.

Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · Oct 12

“The software, called AutoRIF, which stands for Automated Reduction in Force, was first developed by the Department of Defense more than two decades ago. Since then, it’s been updated several times and used by a variety of agencies to expedite reductions in workforce.”

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