The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently implemented new access restrictions at its campuses in Boulder, Colorado, and Gaithersburg, Maryland. Hundreds of foreign researchers working at the institute are prohibited from entering the laboratory alone during evenings and weekends unless accompanied by a federal employee. Some researchers from certain countries have been told they could lose access to labs entirely as early as the end of next month.The moves, part of a still-in-progress set of security rules, will limit the maximum time that international visiting scholars can work at NIST to three years.
NIST internal researchers and scholars from relevant universities are worried that the new regulations may lead to the loss of up to about 500 highly skilled researchers in the institute, and will also prevent some foreign doctoral students and postdoctoral students from completing their degrees or scientific research projects. A University of Colorado Boulder physicist who has close ties to NIST and declined to be named out of concern called it "a complete disaster." Maya Miklós, an American Ph.D. student in physics who works at JILA, a joint NIST-University of Colorado institution, also said that "the atmosphere at NIST is extremely repressive now" and that if these proposals take effect, "it will cause great harm to science."
According to NIST insiders, they have not yet seen any written version of the rules, and the new requirements are mainly communicated orally through internal meetings. Patrick Gallagher, former dean of NIST and now president of the University of Pittsburgh, criticized the lack of transparency in communication and hasty notifications, leaving foreign researchers in chaos. "I'm as disappointed in the way this was handled as I am in the matter itself," he said. "At the very least, NIST should explain it to the country and, if there is a good reason, be candid about it."
NIST did not respond to Science News' request for comment. But in a statement to local media Boulder Reporting Lab on February 17, the agency emphasized that the new rules are still not finalized. The statement said the standards being developed are designed to ensure that NIST's foreign researcher program is consistent with the agency's mission and adds value to the organization while minimizing risks to the country.
This adjustment is believed to stem from a set of scientific research security rules updated by NIST in 2025, which delineate different risk levels according to the country of origin of researchers. Researchers from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria are classified as "high risk". Many scholars from these countries, especially China, have learned that their laboratory access rights will be reviewed before March 31. If they have worked at NIST for more than three years, or are deemed to be "too high-risk" due to engaging in sensitive projects such as quantum technology and artificial intelligence, their access qualifications may be terminated. Researchers from "lower risk" countries were told that if they have worked at NIST for more than two years (or three years if exempt) by September or December this year, they may also lose their qualifications to enter the laboratory at that time.
However, according to the usual academic schedule, it often takes far more than 3 years for doctoral students to complete scientific research. These students are not formal employees of NIST, but move between 17 universities and NIST in the form of cooperation agreements through NIST's "Professional Research Experience Program" to work in the laboratory for a long time. Gallagher pointed out that NIST does not conduct classified research projects, "so it is difficult to see what real benefits this series of practices can bring at the security level."
Currently, NIST is led by acting director Craig Burkhardt, a former politically appointed lawyer. In October 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Arvind Raman, the former dean of the Purdue University School of Engineering, to serve as the dean of NIST, but as of now, Raman has not yet received a hearing in the Senate.
In response to this situation, Zoe Lofgren (California), the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee, and Democratic congresswoman April McClain Delaney (Maryland), who is also a member of the committee, sent a letter to Burkhardt on February 19 to express concerns. The letter states that the committee has repeatedly requested clarification from NIST on the new policy, but has never received a response. This "long-term avoidance is unacceptable," especially when this matter may seriously affect NIST's ability to fulfill its mission.
The letter also refers to a recent report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which made specific recommendations on how to strengthen NIST laboratory security. The letter emphasized that if the reports are true, NIST's proposed policy changes "go far beyond the scope of this report's recommendations and beyond reasonable and proportionate measures to protect national security."
NIST, formerly known as the National Bureau of Standards, was founded in 1901 to promote U.S. business development by formulating internationally accepted scientific metrology and technical standards. Today, these standards support progress in various fields from chips and nanomedicines to atomic clocks and power grids. NIST researchers have also won five Nobel Prizes. According to the official website, NIST has approximately 2,800 employees at the Gaithersburg campus and approximately 560 employees at the Boulder campus. In addition, there are about 4,140 contract workers and visiting scholars working at NIST in the two places, about half of whom are scientific researchers. A search of NIST's internal database shows that about 500 people are foreign doctoral students, postdocs and research scientists. NIST sources also said that even “green card” researchers holding U.S. permanent resident status will be included in the scope of the new policy.
Many leading figures in the physics community have warned that the new regulations may have a profound impact on U.S. technological strength. Chris Monroe, director of the Duke University Quantum Center, who has worked at NIST for nearly ten years, said that such a large-scale brain drain will have an impact far beyond NIST itself, because the institution has long served as an "incubator" of talent and technology for American technology companies. "NIST researchers have almost single-handedly pushed the United States to the forefront of quantum science and quantum technology," he said. The new regulations "will greatly increase the risk of the United States being overtaken in this field." Steve Ralston, a physicist at the University of Maryland, also holds a similar view. He believes that the United States has long "benefited greatly from outstanding talents from all over the world", but now it "cuts off this talent pipeline, which is simply destroying its future."