After Trump's re-election, these U.S. scientists found jobs in the U.K.

Health After Trump's re-election, these U.S. scientists found jobs in the U.K. June 30, 20266:00 AM ET Jon Hamilton Scientists Tamara Swaab (left), Ron Mangun and Megan Peters are all leaving the United States to work in Great Britain, which is actively recruiting international scientists. Courtesy of Tamara Swaab, Ron Mangun and Megan Peters hide caption toggle caption Courtesy of Tamara Swaab, Ron Mangun and Megan Peters For decades, the U.S. was seen as a nation that prized its universities and scientific researchers. That changed when President Trump began his second term, says Megan Peters, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine. "It became very apparent, very quickly, that the new administration did not value higher education," she says, or the scientific research done at universities. Science President Trump seeks control of science funding "So when I went on the job market, I started looking around overseas," Peters says. So have many other U.S.-based research scientists. An analysis by the journal Nature found that in the first quarter of 2025, U.S. scientists submitted nearly a third more applications for jobs abroad than they had during the same period in 2024. In March 2025, a survey of more than 1,600 scientists in the U.S. found that 75% were considering leaving the U.S. Now, a growing number of prominent U.S. researchers are reporting that they have accepted posts in countries including Europe, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Sponsor Message Peters is one of those scientists. She will move to University College London this summer. Other prominent brain scientists heading for the U.K. include Tamara Swaab and Ron Mangun of the University of California, Davis. The married couple have accepted positions at the University of Birmingham. Science funding under siege The departures are, in part, a response to changes in federal funding of scientific research in the U.S. Science Researchers say the Trump administration is finding new wa...