U.K. — U.S. scientists began relocating abroad in increased numbers in early 2025 following changes to federal science funding and grant processes within the Trump administration. An analysis by the journal Nature revealed that in the first quarter of 2025, U.S. scientists submitted almost one-third more job applications to institutions abroad compared to the same period in 2024.

Megan Peters, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine, will move to University College London in the summer of 2026. "It became very apparent, very quickly, that the new administration did not value higher education," Peters said. She added, "So when I went on the job market, I started looking around overseas."

During the first quarter of 2025, 75% of more than 1,600 scientists surveyed in the U.S. were considering leaving the country. National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation structures were reshaped to align with White House priorities, and grants were delayed or terminated soon after former President Trump took office in 2025.

Steve Fleming, a professor at University College London, said he was aware of an advertised role that he believed would be a good fit for Peters. "I was aware that a role was going to be advertised in that department, and we started having a conversation about how that could be a good fit for her," Fleming said. Fleming also stated that Peters would be joined by two other recruits at the university who had left tenured positions.

Tamara Swaab and Ron Mangun, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have accepted positions at the University of Birmingham. "What I always loved about science in the United States was how open it was and how people saw opportunities and would work for them," Swaab said. Mangun's husband received a grant from the U.K.'s Global Talent Fund, which has a budget of $70 million. Rachel O'Reilly, a professor at the University of Birmingham, said, "We're really excited to be able to bring such brilliant researchers to Birmingham."

The Trump administration indicated that its changes to science funding aimed to restore gold standard science, reduce bureaucracy, and cut costs. Mangun said, "They want science, they want exploration, they want discovery, they want cures." He added, "And I think they're going to demand it." The U.K.'s Royal Society and the European Research Council offer grants designed to attract scientists from various countries, including the U.S.

Why It Matters

The increased number of U.S. scientists seeking positions abroad and the expressed intentions to leave highlight shifts within the scientific community following administrative changes. The alterations to federal science funding, including grant delays and terminations, and the reshaping of key scientific institutions like the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, have coincided with this outflow. The recruitment efforts by institutions in the U.K., supported by grants like the Global Talent Fund, indicate a trend where other nations are actively seeking to attract scientists from the U.S. This situation involves a large portion of the U.S. scientific workforce considering international opportunities, as evidenced by job application increases and survey results.