US Scientists Also Say "Just Run Away"

The phenomenon of "just leave for now" due to dissatisfaction with the state of the country is not only occurring in Indonesia. In the United States, scientists are doing the same. They are leaving because they consider the situation in the U.S. increasingly uncomfortable and unsupportive of research and development.

Relentless challenges have struck the world of higher education and research in the United States. Last week, the government halted a donation amounting to 510 million USD for Brown University. The funding cuts have affected the most elite universities in the U.S. In addition to Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and Columbia have also experienced this.

The government's rationale includes efficiency. There are accusations that universities are excessively implementing pluralism. There are also allegations that higher education institutions are promoting anti-Semitic thinking due to protests against Israel's attacks on Palestine.

Furthermore, President Donald Trump's administration reduced the number of federal employees. Through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk, they dismissed tens of thousands of employees. The reason cited was to reduce operational costs. Various research and development centers were also cut back.

As a result, operational costs for laboratories and research grants have drastically decreased. Many research programs cannot be continued. Scientists, both U.S. citizens and foreign researchers pursuing careers in the Land of Uncle Sam, are considering "just leaving for now."

"I immediately solidified my intention to leave as soon as Columbia University's grant was stopped," said Jason Stanley, a philosophy professor at Yale University to CBS media on Monday (7/4/2025) local time or Tuesday (8/4/2025) Indonesian time.

According to Stanley, when Columbia's funding was cut, he knew that a similar fate would soon befall Yale. Stanley then announced that he would move to Canada. He stated that the U.S. had turned into an authoritarian country.

Science would be censored and scientists would be suppressed. As a form of rebellion, Stanley moved abroad and practiced his science as critically as possible.

On March 13, 2025, the scientific journal Nature published the results of a survey of 1,608 scientists working in the US. It was revealed that three out of four respondents said they intended to move. These scientists consisted of researchers in postdoctoral programs and doctoral students.

In terms of the most popular destination countries, they generally choose Canada. Europe is in second place, followed by China and other countries. The British daily, The Guardian, reported that various research and development institutions in the UK were flooded with job applications from scientists in the US.

“I would have liked to have stayed in the US, but the institution where I do research has had its funding cut. I had no choice but to move,” said one respondent in Nature.

Some graduate students told Newsweek that it was their professors who encouraged them to go abroad. “Our professors told us that science will not grow in the U.S., so look for opportunities in other countries,” they said.

The US has been the world's R&D center since the end of World War II. They competed closely with the Soviets, but internal political turmoil that ended in the collapse of the country prevented the Soviets from achieving the same brilliance as the US.

R&D in the US is also known for attracting talented people from all over the world. This meeting of scientists from various cultural, religious, ethnic, and knowledge backgrounds produces innovative scientific ideas. The R&D culture in the US encourages creativity and is not afraid of failure because it is capital to think further.

For example, the mRNA vaccine, one of the mainstays of increasing immunity during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was developed over many years. Scientists when creating the vaccine did not expect a few decades later there would be an outbreak of disease sweeping the world.

The strength of US R&D is reflected in its achievements. As many as 400 Nobel Prize winners come from this country. According to data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), in the world there are 1.2 million people with doctoral degrees in engineering, health, and natural sciences who graduated from US universities.

NCSES also recorded that 27 percent of global R&D activities are in the US. China is in second place with 22 percent. However, in terms of the type and quality of R&D carried out, China is not as sophisticated as the US. In comparison, Japan only carries out 7 percent of global research, Germany 6 percent, and South Korea 4 percent.

Specifically in the US, Harvard University reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) alone provides 408,000 jobs. The economic activity generated by NIH is worth 2.56 million US dollars. This means that R&D does drive the economy.

Chemical engineering magazine C&En reported that since February 2025, Aix-Marseille University in France has opened the Safe Place for Science program. They are investing 10-16 million US dollars to support 15 researchers.

The European Parliament's Research and Development Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said the EU is considering creating a special visa for scientists, with the aim of attracting more bright minds from around the world to come and work on the continent to develop their knowledge.

“It’s hard to believe that the US, the science capital, is stopping investing in R&D. But this is a great opportunity for us to tap into global talent,” Zach Stamp, director of recruitment for UK-based EPM Scientific, told C&En.

Norway’s University of Oslo is hunting for scientists in the fields of climate and energy transition. The Netherlands’ Eindhoven University of Technology is looking for mathematicians, mechanical engineers and computer scientists. Independent R&D centers, including Germany’s Max Planck and Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, are also in the hunt.

Atticus Cummings (24), a US graduate student in Barcelona, Spain, has decided not to return home after graduating. The young man from Montana researches low-carbon building materials and low-emission construction techniques.

"My knowledge is inspired by the nature around my village in Montana, but with the current situation I can't go home to build my village. There are no opportunities in the US," he complained to the New York Times.

In fact, since 2022, scientists have warned Washington DC about the risk of brain drain. At that time, China was catching up with the US as the country with the second most R&D. Scientists said that the US government was complacent with its number one status. In fact, in R&D, a little negligence can immediately be overtaken.

China, Europe and other countries, including Qatar and Singapore, often poach scientists from the US. They are offered more prestigious positions, salaries and research facilities. The US National Science Board (NSB) issued several recommendations in a white paper.

In addition to strengthening basic research, NSB said it is very important to have a line of scientists from various racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. Diversity allows a problem to be viewed simultaneously from various sides. Innovation becomes rich and cross-disciplinary.

"Universities and R&D centers need to strengthen their collaboration with industry. We cannot produce value-added products without scientific intervention," NSB member Julia Phillips told Science magazine. (AFP)