When Dr. Andrew Lassman, a brain cancer specialist at Columbia University, first heard that President Donald Trump was slashing $400 million in research funding, he wasn’t thinking about politics. He was thinking about his patients. The experimental treatments, the promising trials, the work that could save lives, all suddenly in jeopardy.

“This is real, not theoretical research,” Lassman said. “Young, old, Black, white, Republican, Democrat—cancer doesn’t care.”

But the Trump administration’s sweeping funding cuts and broader attacks on federally supported research are forcing thousands of scientists across the United States to reconsider their futures. More than 1,200 scientists—three-quarters of those who responded to a Nature poll are actively considering leaving the country.

Many are eyeing Europe and Canada, while others say they will move “anywhere that supports science.”

A top Indian-American scientist-entrepreneur shared the article on the Nature poll with a two-word comment: "Makes sense."

Of the 1,650 scientists surveyed by Nature, 75% said they were looking for opportunities abroad.

Among early-career researchers, the situation is even more dire. More than 80% of postgraduates and PhD students polled are contemplating leaving the US, with nearly all citing Trump’s policies as a driving factor.

One graduate student in plant genomics, whose stipend was wiped out when Trump shut down funding for the US Agency for International Development, has already started looking for opportunities overseas.

“This is my home, I really love my country,” she said. “But a lot of my mentors have been telling me to get out, right now.”

With federal funding evaporating and thousands of scientists losing their jobs, many researchers have little choice.

The Trump administration’s drastic cost-cutting measures led by billionaire Elon Musk have resulted in mass layoffs across scientific agencies.

Some have been temporarily reinstated due to court orders, but the uncertainty looms large.

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

A field under siege

The impact is being felt across disciplines.

Trump’s administration has ordered federal agencies—including NASA and the US Global Change Research Program—to halt all participation in global climate initiatives.

Scientists studying the effects of climate change have found themselves out of work almost overnight.

Meanwhile, at Columbia University, the situation has taken a political turn. When the Trump administration revoked funding over the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian student protests, research projects that had nothing to do with the controversy suffered the most.

“There’s simply no justifiable link for the federal government to put this kind of research in the line of fire,” said Dr. Dani Dumitriu, a pediatric researcher studying the long-term effects of COVID-19 on children.

“It’s appalling,” said an anonymous professor. “Scientific research should not be held hostage to political maneuvering.”

Science in crisis

Beyond individual universities, the Trump administration’s actions have sent a chilling message to the broader scientific community.

This month, the White House denied US officials permission to attend a key Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting.

The IPCC meeting in Hangzhou was to finalise the budget and timelines, as well as methodologies for carbon capture and storage – topics where US leadership has historically been crucial for financial support.

While some still hope that private funding and philanthropy might fill the gaps left by federal cuts, competition is fierce.

For many US scientists, “somewhere else” may soon become their new home.

But many more scientists had not planned on relocating, until Trump began gutting funding and firing researchers. “This is my home — I really love my country,” says a graduate student at a top US university who works in plant genomics and agriculture. “But a lot of my mentors have been telling me to get out, right now.”

This student lost her research support and her stipend when the Trump administration shut down funding for the US Agency for International Development.