She set out to become a clinical psychologist. Now she’s leading a US movement to save science

Colette Delawalla launched Stand Up for Science to push back against the Trump’s cuts to medical and scientific research

Nineteen days into the second administration of Donald Trump, Colette Delawalla reached her limit.

The 30-year-old budding clinical psychologist and mother of a toddler had been eager to finish her dissertation and launch a scientific career dedicated to teaching and research on addiction. Now that plan seemed seriously at odds with where the country was headed. The Trump administration had just announced $4bn in cuts to medical and scientific research. Government scientists had been ordered not to speak at conferences or in public for the time being. The National Institutes of Health was purging grants that conflicted with presidential orders on “gender ideology” and “diversity”.