Three-Quarters of US Scientists in Nature Poll Consider Leaving the Country

U.S. | Science & Health

March 29, 2025

Originally posted by: The Epoch Times

A majority of U.S.-based scientists who responded to a new poll by Nature said they are considering leaving the country in response to sweeping changes in federal research policy and funding under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Of roughly 1,650 readers who completed the poll, which was released on March 27, more than 1,200 individuals—75 percent—said they were weighing a move abroad.

The responses, collected in early March through Nature’s website, social media, and newsletter, reflect growing unease across the scientific community following major changes to U.S. science funding, staffing, and research priorities, according to the survey results.

The trend was most pronounced among early-career researchers, the poll found. Among 690 postdoctoral researchers who responded, 548 said they were considering leaving. Among Ph.D. students, 255 out of 340 gave the same response. Europe and Canada were cited as the most likely destinations if they were to leave the country.

The survey results come amid ongoing funding cuts and reorganization at federal science agencies. The Trump administration has eliminated or suspended large segments of federally funded research under a cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Thousands of federal scientists have been fired or temporarily reinstated by court order, and more layoffs are anticipated.

Some researchers are now seeking to relocate to institutions abroad. One graduate student, whose research in agriculture lost funding when the U.S. Agency for International Development cut support, told Nature that her adviser was able to find emergency funds temporarily.

Still, she told the publication she was applying for teaching positions and postdoctoral fellowships overseas.

“Seeing all of the work stopped is heartbreaking,” she said. “I’ve been looking very diligently for opportunities in Europe, Australia, and Mexico.”

Another respondent, a physician-scientist at a major U.S. university, said when his National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant was canceled, he reached out to colleagues in Canada. He and his wife, also a scientist, are now seeking positions there.

Institutions abroad appear to be responding to the wave of dislocation. The physician-scientist said universities in other countries are seeing the disruption in the United States as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to attract American talent.

Not all scientists expressed interest in leaving. Some respondents said U.S. institutions still offer the best research facilities. Others said they want to stay to support their students and labs for as long as possible.

For others, funding uncertainty and concerns about political interference have turned relocation into a serious consideration. One respondent, a faculty member, said, “If the NIH is dramatically cut, we may not have a choice to stay in the U.S.”