[Epoch Times] Of roughly 1,650 readers who completed the poll,
| …so self-selected volunteers, a severely skewed sample which severely skews the results… |
which was released on March 27, more than 1,200 individuals—75 percent—said they were weighing a move abroad.
| “Ya know, Soozie, now would be a good time to do that sabbatical in Copenhagen that we were discussing during Covid…” |
 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.
| Anyone who leaves is someone we don’t want anyway. |
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.
| Good luck with that, guys, truly. The odds aren’t in your favour, given the relative sizes of the respective scientific/academic establishments, but if you are eminent in your fields — and highly connected — you might have a shot at a post-doc position on someone else’s team, especially if you’re good at getting large grants. Recall all the Soviet Jewish scientists who escaped to Israel, where many drove cabs and such to survive. You can drive, right?… |
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.
I suppose a lot of scientists left the country when the Superconducting Super Collider was cancelled. How did we ever recover? |