The first American academics fleeing Donald Trump’s America for France have arrived.
Aix-Marseille University last week introduced eight U.S.-based researchers who were in the final stage of joining the institution’s “Safe Place for Science" program, which aims to woo researchers who have experienced or fear funding cuts under the Trump administration. AMU offers the promise of a brighter future in the sun-drenched Mediterranean port city.
While both France and the European Union have launched multimillion-euro plans to woo researchers across the pond since Trump assumed the U.S. presidency in January, AMU’s initiative was the first of its kind in the country — meaning the eight researchers who were welcomed are the first academic refugees planning to trade the United States for France.
I feel like it’s very strange to not even mention the fact that many, many of these researchers have completely lost, or will lose the grants for the research that is the entire reason for their being in the field in which they are. They literally cannot do what they are there to do anymore. in addition, many additional folks are no longer allowed to work on or publish their projects because they are centered on or use some of Trump’s no-no words. There is way more than just salaries causing the brain drain out of the US right now.