WASHINGTON—Dr. Gretchen Goldman has been named in the TIME100 Next list for 2026. An expansion of the TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world, TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of science, activism, politics, business, sports, entertainment and more. The full list will appear in the next issue of TIME Magazine, available on newsstands soon and online now.
Dr. Goldman is president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a leading science-based advocacy organization working to create and implement innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe and sustainable future. Through its Science Rising initiative, the organization has been leading the charge against the current administration’s threats to democracy and attacks on science, which exceed 600 since January 20, 2025, according to UCS’s new Attacks on Science Tracker.
“I’m honored to be named in the TIME100 Next list along with so many other extraordinary people,” said Dr. Goldman. “The need to safeguard the U.S. science and technology enterprise has never been more urgent. Without a strong democracy, we cannot have science-based decisions; and without science-based decisions, we cannot have clean air and water; safe food, drugs, and workplaces; and security for all. I will continue to wake up every day, arm-in-arm with UCS’s more than 600,000 supporters, to fight for science and scientists across the country.”
Before returning to UCS, Dr. Goldman served in White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the assistant director for environmental science, engineering, policy, and justice; and at the U.S. Department of Transportation as the climate change research and technology director.
Dr. Goldman has provided science advice and thought leadership across the science and decision-making ecosystem, testified before Congress, sat on the board of the nonprofit 500 Women Scientists, and received many recognitions and honors. She has been quoted by the Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNN, Forbes, The Guardian, Nature, New Scientist, The New York Times, NPR, Politico, Scientific American, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post and Wired. Dr. Goldman has also been published in many peer-reviewed journals and science outlets, including Environmental Justice, Issues in Science and Technology, Environmental Health Perspectives, Journal of Public Health Policy, PLoS One, and Science.
To view Dr. Goldman’s full biography, click here. Contact UCS Media Director Ashley Siefert Nunes to speak with Dr. Goldman.