Due to cuts in research funding and tightening of political conditions, an increasing number of researchers are leaving the United States.
According to a report by the Hong Kong South China Morning Post on June 27, Li Xueke, a climate scientist who studied and worked in the United States for 10 years, has left the University of Pennsylvania and joined the City University of Hong Kong last month as an assistant professor in the School of Energy and Environment.
For me, Hong Kong is the most important and attractive place because it's a strategic convergence point for climate science, technological innovation and global interconnection, " said Li Xueke. "As a climate scientist dedicated to addressing global climate challenges, I find it hard to imagine any other place more exciting than here."
Currently, the American scientific research environment is facing increasing political and financial pressures. After serving as the President of the United States for another term in 2025, President Donald Trump terminated funding for climate-related research projects. In December last year, Trump also threatened to disband the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a globally leading institution for earth sciences research. The White House even described NCAR as “a primary scientific hub for left-wing climate extremist rhetoric.”
"We have fewer opportunities to conduct climate science research than before. It’s very difficult… especially for those of us who operate the most advanced computational climate models. We need funding to keep things running," said Li Xueke.
She added, “Due to these unexpected changes, our research has been severely affected and has faced significant difficulties. For climate scientists, this is an unhealthy environment.”
According to reports, Li Xueke’s research aims to deepen humanity’s understanding of climate variability and extreme weather conditions, and to assess their impacts on the environment and society. This research efforts seek to closely link data, modeling, and the shipping industry.
"With climate change, the Arctic is rapidly transforming from the once ice-bound far north into an ocean that can be navigated seasonally," said Li Xueke.
Li Xueke, The Nanyang Post
She pointed out that compared to the Suez Canal route, the Arctic route can reduce travel distance by up to 40%, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions by about 30%. This not only saves millions of dollars in fuel costs for individual voyages, but also contributes to diversifying the global supply chain.
Currently, apart from the “Northern Sea Route” controlled by Russia, rapidly melting sea ice is creating a new corridor known as the “Central Arctic Route”.
Li Xueke said that this route near the Arctic is expected to be ready for commercial navigation by the middle of this century or earlier, allowing ships to bypass geopolitical conflicts that affect traditional shipping routes.
However, due to the rapid melting and reformation of sea ice, there is a great degree of uncertainty for maritime traffic. To address this issue, Li Xueke plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to refine climate models. She pointed out that previous models often had the drawback of having “rough resolution” in order to balance the need for spatial detail with long-term simulation requirements. A more sophisticated model, however, could provide shipping operators with more accurate navigation windows and route guidance.
In Li Xueke's view, Hong Kong, as a global supply chain and logistics hub, has significant strategic importance for her research on Arctic shipping. She added that this city is fully capable of taking full advantage of the opportunities brought about by these changes.
Li Xueke received a Bachelor of Science degree from Taiyuan University in 2011, and a Master of Cartography and Geographic Information Systems degree from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014. She then went to the United States for further studies and obtained a Doctor of Geography degree from the University of Connecticut in 2019. From that time until 2022, Li Xueke conducted postdoctoral research at Brown University. In 2023, she joined the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and became a research assistant last year.
For Li Xueke, leaving the United States means saying goodbye to the professional academic network she built over ten years and the colleagues who supported her all along. "But after considering all factors, I realized that going to Hong Kong is the best choice for me, because it offers plenty of opportunities for climate research and sustainable energy," said Li Xueke.
On the other hand, the increasingly unstable scientific research environment in the United States prompted her to make the decision to leave, including the attempt by the Trump administration to disband NCAR.
I still vividly recall the first time I heard this message, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting last year," said Li Xueke as he recalled. "At that time, climate scientists were feeling very disappointed."
The AGU annual meeting is the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists worldwide, attracting more than 25,000 international scholars. Subsequently, AGU sent a letter to NCAR's sponsor, the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States, urging it to "do everything possible to avoid closing the center." Earlier this month, a federal judge in the United States halted the plan to split NCAR.
After the Trump administration took office, they tightened the visa system, significantly reduced research funding, and put pressure on universities to engage in "self-censorship". This series of new policies has had a huge impact on the American scientific research field, prompting many scholars and experts to rethink their lives and careers.
In March 2025, the British journal Nature published survey results showing that over 75% of more than 1,600 surveyed researchers are considering leaving the United States.
Last year, approximately 1,900 members from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Medical Association in the United States, representing top scientists across America, jointly issued a public letter stating: "We are sending a distress signal, ringing the alarm bell: The scientific endeavors in the United States have been severely damaged."
On the other hand, in recent years, the US government has been expanding the concept of national security, implementing measures such as the 'China Action Plan' to persecute Chinese scientists. At the same time, China's scientific capabilities have been growing, making it increasingly attractive to top scientists. As a result, there has been a trend of Chinese scientists returning to China.
This trend has been confirmed by multiple analyses. The South China Morning Post previously cited data indicating that the number of top Chinese scientists has surpassed that of the United States. Research found that from 2020 to 2024, the number of top Chinese scientists increased, while that of American scientists decreased.
