Canada poaches dozens of top US researchers for its universities

Canada is recruiting a significant number of researchers from American institutions, including prominent ones like Harvard, as their relationship with the US becomes increasingly strained. Out of the 64 professors moving to Canada from around the world, more than three-quarters will be from the US. The Canadian government has established a fund of C$504m ($362m; £268m) to support research in areas like climate change and medicine for these academic pioneers.

President Donald Trump's administration has criticized universities for their perceived leftist ideologies and diversity policies, as well as their lack of action against alleged campus antisemitism. The White House and the US Department of Education have been contacted by the BBC for further information. The uncertainty caused by these funding concerns is persuading researchers to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Canada is playing a more prominent role on the global stage while addressing its trade tensions with the US, which recently escalated over tariffs. One climate researcher, Seth Guikema, relocated to Canada due to the challenging funding landscape in the US for climate and resilience research. Guikema plans to use C$8m for researching tools to better prepare for natural disasters, such as storms and wildfires, at the University of Western Ontario.

Canada's Industry Minister Melanie Joly welcomed the arrival of these exceptional professors, stating that the US administration makes its own decisions, and Canada is taking its own. Some of the selected researchers, like Guikema, were born and raised in the US, while others are returning Canadians who previously worked abroad.

Peter Caravan, a biopharmaceutical researcher and professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, expressed emotional gratitude for the opportunity to work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Steven Lamy, a professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, believes that major grant agencies have been cut and politicized by the current US administration, making offers from external universities more attractive.

Stephanie Burt, an English professor at Harvard University, believes the funding cuts are a "generational disaster for science and scientists," stating that Canada has provided a "far more welcoming environment" for academics. US universities remain among the world's top-ranked institutions, with MIT, Stanford, and Harvard ranking within the top five according to QS Universities Rankings.

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, noted that institutions feel helpless in the face of federal and state cuts, with the deeper concern being the potential for the US to become less attractive for pursuing knowledge.