The US used to be a haven for research. Now, scientists are packing their bags. [ CSMonitor.com ]

The flava:

This isn’t the first time James Gerber and Lisa Hilbink have packed up their things and left.

In the past 23 years, the married pair of academics have rented out their two-story house in Minnesota a handful of times – during sabbatical stints or fellowships. They’ve tucked away in boxes the family photos, handicrafts from trips to Latin America, and leather booties their children wore when they took their first steps.

But this time feels different.

“We’ll do what we’ve always done in the past: Pack things up and leave it,” says Dr. Hilbink, sinking into a leather armchair in their St. Paul home. “But this time, I’ll bring certain special things with me, like my favorite photos.”

In a matter of months, the two will move to the south of France, where they’ve been offered spots within Aix-Marseille University’s Safe Place for Science initiative. Dr. Gerber is a climate researcher; Dr. Hilbink is a tenured professor of political democracy. They don’t know whether they’ll be welcome in the United States when they return.

“I hope it’s just paranoia,” says Dr. Hilbink, offering a pained glance at Dr. Gerber sitting beside her. “You prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

The couple are part of a growing number of academics and researchers leaving the United States. As government funding for scientific research dries up, and as President Donald Trump wages pointed attacks against some of the nation’s top universities, more academics are looking to Europe and Asia as safe havens.

A recent survey of U.S. college faculty by the journal Nature found that 75% were looking for work outside the country. Some are doing so to protect their research, while others are trying to safeguard their individual freedoms. The result is a reverse brain drain that has not been seen since European scientists sought refuge on U.S. shores before and during World War II. For the researchers who have chosen to leave, it is bittersweet – and professionally risky. But they say the future of science depends on it. . . .    

The article:

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2025/0825/trump-science-brain-drain-europe