Becoming a scientist in the US just got a lot harder

Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash

Unbeknownst to the general public, a generation of scientists is being sheared away as the Trump administration takes a chainsaw to federal science. The United States is losing scientific training programs, research funding, and jobs in federal agencies and sectors that employ scientists. Training grants and direct funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, are key to recruiting and growing scientific talent. Federal research funding to academic institutions supports salaries of students, staff, and faculty — the entire US university system is reliant upon these funding sources. Finally, federal science positions, which provide the backbone of our country’s scientific enterprise, are being chaotically terminated.

The rapidly unfolding contraction of government-supported science is being orchestrated haphazardly under the guise of reducing costs and increasing government efficiencies. Collectively, these administrative actions will destroy scientific progress. Early career scientists, those in training or who recently entered the workforce, are bearing the brunt of unfolding funding cuts and employment losses. The US administration threatens the future of the scientific workforce, with impacts that will be felt for years to come.

What’s happening?

The returning Trump administration has been busy gutting the United States’ federal scientific workforce and cutting funding to science across a broad set of topics. On top of that, the new administration’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) orders and related task forces, together with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have targeted large swaths of federal training programs, research funding and shut down many open opportunities. In March, many federal scientists in probationary positions were Illegally fired, and while some were hired back, they continue to face likely termination through reductions in force (RIF). Public and private universities are being targeted with broader threats to cut funding if these institutions do not capitulate to the whims of the administration

Summary of current attacks on science and scientists (for more, see the Silencing Science Tracker)

Mass layoffs

• Impacting: At least 105,000 federal employees, mostly probationary employees at early career stages
• Further reading: Tracking Trump’s overhaul of the federal workforce

Hiring freezes

• Impacting: Government and university employees
• Further reading: OMB-OPM federal civilian hiring freeze guidance; Universities across the U.S. freeze hiring as federal funding hangs in the balance

Rescinded graduate admissions offers

• Impacting: Would be graduate students who may choose a different career path
• Further reading: Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research; tracker for graduate reductions across biomedical sciences

Downsizing of the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program

• Impacting: College students who need research experience
• Further reading: NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates

Termination of NIH training programs

• Impacting: Community college to Baccalaureate- R25 (B2B), undergraduate- T34 (MARC and U-RISE), post baccalaureate-R25 PREP, some Graduate T32s, and F31, post-graduate K12 (IRACDA) and K99 (MOSAIC)
• Further reading: APHA v NIH complaint

Terminations or pauses of federal research grants

• Impacting: University employees at all levels who depend on grants for their salary and research costs.
• Further reading: Tracker for rescinded NIH grants; HHS website rescinded; tracker for NIH Study Section cancellations

Delayed grant review

• Impacting: NIH grants due for renewal are paused, with massive cascading impacts on labs and staff
• Further reading: Trump administration stalls scientific research despite court ruling;

Scrutiny of grant applications containing newly banned words

• Impacted: All grants that focus on topics now deemed controversial, with large additional workload to PIs who are obligated to revise grant applications
• Further reading: These 197 terms may trigger reviews of your NIH, NSF grant proposals

Travel bans and restrictions

• Impacted: Government and university employees, international students; researchers engaged in international fieldwork, conference travel to the US, and travel by international scientists residing in the US, including those with legal status.
• Further reading: Trump’s latest DOGE order aims to cut costs through federal contracts, travel; Spring break warning: Students, faculty advised to postpone international travel plans

Early career scientists hit hardest

These cuts to the scientific workforce and funding have disproportionately dire impacts for early career scientists, especially women and historically underrepresented groups, for two main reasons (discussed in more detail below):

(1) The educational track into science is long and often includes expensive or low-paying undergraduate and graduate education and post-graduate research experience. After years of training and low pay, early career scientists are already in precarious positions and are less financially insulated from job loss. Federal agency layoffs have mainly focused on probationary employees, who are often the most recently hired and include a disproportionate number of recent graduates.

(2) “Just get another job” is not an option when there is a general contraction in the workforce across sectors, on top of direct research funding cuts, and when scientific expertise is highly specialized and not well represented outside of research settings. And not everyone is able to move for employment opportunities, for many reasons.

The long academic path to a career in science

Scientific careers typically require a decade or more of higher education. Many students navigating academia for the first time are supported by a variety of student training programs; the most well known and highly lauded program is the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). This program is currently being downsized. REUs and other similar programs increase participation in science, and losing these programs would be a major setback to building a diverse STEM workforce and ensuring science is inclusive.

Some reflections from mid and later career scientists who have been impacted by similar training programs:

“I learned things in my REU internship that were essential to doing science that I never got training on during my PhD. This included a workshop on science ethics and instruction on how to document information about my research sites that I would need later on.” — current research associate

“My REU experience gave me the connections that led me to graduate school and allowed my early scientific career to flourish. Without the training experience, networking, and skills I learned in that single summer of my undergraduate degree, my life now would look immeasurably different.” — current Associate Professor

In graduate school, students develop deep expertise in a particular field, combining theoretical knowledge with technical and professional skills. In the United States, this takes years — generally 2–3 years for a Master’s degree and 5–7 years for a PhD. During this time, graduate students are often supported by teaching or research fellowships to compensate for time spent in the classroom or laboratory. In the US, salaries are low and most graduate students make less than $40k/year (e.g. NSF), and often less than $30k/year (e.g. NIH), although rates vary wildly by institution and department (e.g. https://csstipendrankings.org/). Many students often take on loans to make ends meet and graduate with substantial debt. Becoming a scientist is a huge investment of time and carries a large financial risk, betting that the degree would yield higher-paying job opportunities to make up for years of low income. Historically, this has been a good bet.

After graduate school, scientists may initially face low pay and/or low job security as they navigate postdoctoral opportunities and apply for jobs, which may start with several temporary jobs before landing a more stable position. In the United States, widespread reliance on student loans, relatively low pay, and moving costs associated with frequent relocation mean that many early career scientists are already in debt, living paycheck to paycheck, and can’t afford to lose their jobs, making them vulnerable in the face of current funding cuts and layoffs targeted at probationary employees. Those who are otherwise financially vulnerable or don’t have robust safety nets in place (i.e. people from low-income backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people who are starting families) will be hit especially hard.

“I was a federal probationary employee who was illegally fired on February 13th, two months after starting my job. Before this position, I had two years of federal experience resulting in glowing reviews, and yet I was fired because of my “performance.” I was excited for this start to my permanent career that I worked very hard for, and in an instant, my entire future was upended.

Fortunately, the courts ruled in our favor that these firings were illegal, and I was reinstated March 24th, with full back pay. Despite this win, less than two weeks later, rumors of very deep cuts through a planned reduction in force surfaced. As a probationary worker, my position was most vulnerable to be eliminated. In light of these cuts, my agency re-offered the deferred resignation program. This program allows federal workers to be placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits through September 30th, after which they must voluntarily resign.

I loved my job and I wanted to keep it and continue serving the American people. However, due to the instability and emotional trauma of the last several weeks, I felt I had no choice but to take the offer and step away from government. To make matters more complex, I am also expecting my first child, and I need stability now more than ever. This treatment of federal workers, who keep our country running, is inhumane, unnecessary, and completely inefficient.” — current USDA scientist

Many scientists have invested deeply in their education and training because they love science. However, we cannot expect passion alone to keep the forthcoming generation of scientists on track, without training opportunities and funding that supports science as a whole.

For early career scientists from underrepresented and lower socio-economc backgrounds, for women, and scientists with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ scientists, the loss of research funding and/or employment is a threat multiplier. The lack of strong financial and community safety nets and challenges associated with moving to new cities and states for employment create additional barriers. Consider that LGBTQIA+ scientists may not feel safe moving to states within the US that have anti-LGBTQIA+ laws or consider additional barriers that may exist for people who do not have the ability to pay for a large move to another city or state. Diversity in science already decreases with each career stage and women and underrepresented minorities continue to face challenges, even in more senior positions. Drastic cuts to funding will have dire consequences for diversity in science and the modest progress that has been made in recent years will be undone .

“Where are the jobs?”

Government jobs provide important next career steps for new graduates and these are rapidly vanishing. At the same time, industry relies on government contracts and these are also being cancelled, so industry cannot absorb more than a small portion of the scientific workforce. In fact, many companies are already reducing their workforce in response to government cuts, and more reductions are coming. For example, biotechnology companies like Fisher Scientific, which are heavily reliant on researchers buying supplies, will also reduce their workforce as demand for supplies decreases.

It’s tempting to tell laid off scientists to “just get another job” — but this is impossible if science jobs are disappearing in private, government, or academic sectors too. On top of that, many early career scientists have spent the bulk of their adult years building specialized knowledge and skills that are not readily transferable outside of academic or research institutions. Layoffs and funding cuts are happening against the backdrop of a general contraction of the job market, placing early career scientists at an even larger disadvantage when they are forced to compete for a vanishing number of jobs against people with more experience who are targeting lower level positions out of necessity.

“One cannot claim a passion for capitalism while simultaneously gutting the engines that feed it — namely the knowledge, experience, skillsets and especially the fostering of the collective creativity that this country has amassed through its history.” — current Provost

The actions of the current administration are putting the potential for future scientific innovation in the US into a state of grave uncertainty and the cost of losing a generation of scientists is immeasurable. In the span of just three months, the US has ceded our leadership in science and innovation that took generations to build. As a result, we are less prepared to meet emerging challenges and leverage science to solve society’s most pressing problems.

So where do we go from here?

First and foremost, we need to support early career scientists who have been impacted by layoffs and funding cuts. At the same time, we need to get creative and find new ways to train the next generation of scientists.

Support from a position in within science:

• Check in on students and early career scientists in your life. Let them know you see them and acknowledge how stressful the current moment is.
• If you know someone who has lost their job, offer monetary support and help finding another position if you are able to do so.
• Make introductions, set up informational interviews, review CVs and resumes, tap into your network to help early career scientists find a good place to land.
• Mentor or connect early career folks with potential mentors.
• Reallocate resources to support students who have lost training opportunities.
• Organize with others across your institution and make your voice heard with your administration.
• Pursue avenues to appeal funding terminations.

Regardless of your profession, tap into collective action and help build public support for science.

• Contact lawmakers. Let your representatives know that you value science. Make use of data on the impacts to grad programs, NIH and NSF grant cancellation, and regional funding impacts, including regional impacts of NSF and NIH funding. These sources are also compiled in the 500 Women Scientists Action Lab.
• Engage in your community.
• Support science in K-12 schools in addition to higher education

More than anything else, don’t shy away from sharing the importance of science and how the current cuts are impacting you and your friends and family. Many people outside of science do not understand how scientific institutions work and don’t know what these funding cuts mean for scientists personally or for the entire scientific enterprise. Hearing from trusted friends, neighbors, and family members about the impacts of funding cuts, mass firings across federal agencies, and targeted attacks on higher ed institutions will be more impactful than reading about it in the news.