Budget cuts, uncertainty and censorship – in the US, free academic research is under attack and universities are being declared the enemy. Two academics in the US describe the effects of these massive cuts – they report a climate of uncertainty and fear. Sociologist and political scientist Alexandra Lieben of UCLA is president of the association ASciNA (Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America). Contemporary historian Maximilian Brockhaus of the University of Vienna is currently a research fellow at the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota.
Austrian scientists in the USA describe a climate of uncertainty and fear
Science under attack – How the Trump administration affects the academic landscape in the US
Pexels / Andrea Piacquadio
How would you describe the current state of academic freedom in the US?
Alexandra Lieben: The situation changes daily. Pressure and threats are increasing. The seemingly arbitrary actions of the government cause disorientation and unsettle everyone. Structures are beginning to crumble. The government is starting deportations, which makes everyone else even more cautious and anxious. Nevertheless, everyone tries to carry on with everyday life, to continue researching, writing and realising the projects in which so much time, energy and resources have been invested. Perhaps you adapt quietly to avoid controversy. It still depends on where and what you are researching. Some are seemingly unaffected others feel the full brunt of the measures.
Maximilian Brockhaus: Under attack and in danger! The battle of identity policy that the Trump administration has launched against DEI initiatives (diversity, equity, inclusion) also affects academia, research and teaching. For example, how will the administration deal with degree programmes, research and courses that critically analyse and question the binary gender system, according to which the US government only recognises people according to the "immutable biological classification as either male or female" by executive order of 20 January 2025? And we are not even talking about the personal impact on transgender, intersex or non-binary persons in academia, research, studies and teaching yet.
Trump's list of 'banned' words
As part of its 'anti-woke agenda', the government has issued a list of words that are flagged or banned. For example, this includes the use of terms such as 'gender', 'bias' or even 'oppression' and 'historically' on official government websites or in school curricula. "The censorship of speech is a tried and tested instrument of authoritarian governments and another direct attack on the freedom of academia, research and teaching," says Maximilian Brockhaus.
Are you already struggling with restrictions or political interference in your work?
Maximilian Brockhaus: Personally, not yet. However, conversations with colleagues revealed that there is hardly any planning security regarding the advertisement of predoctoral and postdoctoral positions in particular, as these are largely funded by state funds, which are affected by massive cuts. In addition to the actual cancellation of funding, the uncertainty and chaotic lack of transparency regarding the government's next steps, above all, make it almost impossible to create new positions.
Alexandra Lieben: The current restrictions are mainly financial. In 2023, American universities have invested 108,700 billion dollars in research, 59,604 billion (55 % of the total) of which came from the federal government via ministries and authorities. This funding is now at risk. The Ministry of Health has stopped, rejected or slowed down many projects of the NIH and CDC. The NIH, for example, is the world's largest sponsor of biomedical research. If its funding is greatly cut or cancelled, it will have worldwide impact. We have not yet heard anything about the funding provided by the Ministry of Defence and what will happen to it. And there is just as much pressure on the National Science Foundation.
What long-term consequences do you expect for the academic landscape in the US?
Maximilian Brockhaus: The current path of academic isolationism will not only harm the US, but also international academic research and societies around the world. Academic research thrives on freedom and exchange and is a pillar of democracy. The Trump administration will cause considerable damage to research in the coming years. The government already actively prevents the exchange among researchers in the field of climate research, for example, by prohibiting them from participating in international conferences.
Alexandra Lieben: If this goes on for a long time, it will erode the universities. No money, no research and therefore no progress. Conservative forces in the country have been attacking academic freedom and freedom of speech for decades. The public has a two-dimensional idea of universities as ‘woke’ liberal bubbles instead of the complex organisms that they really are. It is no surprise that Silicon Valley has developed in the vicinity of universities such as Stanford and UC Berkeley. The industry has neither the time nor the infrastructure to carry out long-term experiments and enable developments. This has been a wonderful and mutually productive partnership for a long time. Without research, there will be no medical breakthroughs, no new therapies and no new technologies that keep millions of people alive.
Will the US now become unattractive as an academic location for researchers from Europe?
Maximilian Brockhaus: From conversations with colleagues who have only recently gained a foothold in the US academic landscape, I get the impression that more and more of them are considering leaving the country.
Alexandra Lieben: Students and doctoral candidates usually come to the US on temporary visas that depend on their studies or employer. When a project changes, this can also lead to the termination of the visa. Budget cuts often result in fewer positions, vacant positions are not filled or are filled differently, and temporary contracts of researchers are not extended. However, the US currently still offer the best environment for research – there is money, great projects and many opportunities. This will continue. With restrictions, but neither the economy nor the universities will want to lose their competitive advantage. This means that the US is still an attractive academic location as long as people are not deported or no longer allowed to enter the country.
Are there unexpected opportunities for research despite the current developments?
Maximilian Brockhaus: The European Union has the opportunity to emerge stronger, welcome academics from the US with open arms, and develop and promote a free and democratic system for education, science and research.
Alexandra Lieben: Academics who are not here long-term consider returning to Austria for a few months or a year. Others who have been here longer are considering returning, but only if the opportunities are suitable and there are adequate jobs in academia.
What is your personal outlook on the future?
Alexandra Lieben: I am and remain convinced of the resilience and creativity of people and the power and insistence of scholarship. Like all crises, also the current one provides an opportunity to change. It challenges us to go beyond our limits, to develop new concepts, to allow the unorthodox and to perhaps form unexpected alliances. In times of crisis, we tend to withdraw, but the opposite would be more appropriate: Open the doors and out into the new! A path will emerge. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
Maximilian Brockhaus: Radical optimism!
About Alexandra Lieben and Maximilian Brockhaus
Alexandra Lieben is a sociologist and political scientist at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and President of the ASciNA association (Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America).
Maximilian Brockhaus is a university assistant at the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna and is currently working as a research fellow at the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota as part of a Marietta Blau OeAD Fellowship.