Epidemiologist Candice Johnson at MSU faces uncertainty in her research career as funding cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration threaten her tenure prospects. With reduced funding from key agencies like the CDC and NSF, and the administration's focus on eliminating funding for DEI efforts, Johnson worries about meeting tenure requirements in a chaotic environment. Other early-career researchers echo her concerns, seeking guidance from their universities as they navigate funding challenges exacerbated by political ideologies clashing with academic values.
Johnson's 'tenure clock' has started, and she would normally be expected in the next five years to apply for tenure by demonstrating her accomplishments.
With the chaos brought by the Trump administration, 'it seems to be an impossible thing to try to plan out the next five years not knowing what's going to happen,' she says.
Since Trump began his presidency, US agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that fund science have been slashing research awards.
She's worried about her future in research - and in particular, about her prospects of receiving tenure, a status in the US academic system that... guarantees researchers a faculty position.
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