Key facts
- Canada is recruiting dozens of researchers from US universities, with over 75% coming from the US.
- A new Canadian government program offers C$504 million for research in fields like climate change and medicine.
- US President Donald Trump's administration has faced criticism for freezing federal research grants and ideological stances.
- Seth Guikema, a climate researcher from the University of Michigan, is relocating to the University of Western Ontario.
- Peter Caravan, a biopharmaceutical researcher, is returning to the University of British Columbia from Harvard Medical School.
Canada is actively recruiting dozens of top researchers from US universities, including prestigious institutions like Harvard, as part of a new government initiative. Over three-fourths of the 64 international professors relocating to Canada are from the United States. These researchers will receive funding from a C$504 million pool for studies in critical areas such as climate change and medicine.
This move comes amid reported challenges for researchers in the US, including funding uncertainties and ideological criticisms from the Trump administration regarding campus policies. One climate researcher noted that his work in the US had become more difficult, prompting his relocation to Canada for a more welcoming environment.
Seth Guikema, a climate resiliency researcher formerly at the University of Michigan, is one of the 48 US researchers moving to Canada. He will utilize C$8 million over eight years at the University of Western Ontario to research tools for better preparedness against natural hazards like storms and wildfires. Guikema stated he sought an "intellectual home where I could have practical impact" due to a challenging funding environment in the US for climate-related work.
Peter Caravan, a biopharmaceutical researcher with two decades of experience at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is also returning to Canada, specifically to the University of British Columbia. He expressed emotion at the announcement, highlighting the significance of the move.
Other academics, like Steven Lamy, a professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, have argued that major US grant agencies have been "cut and politicized" by the current administration, making external university offers more attractive. Stephanie Burt, an English professor at Harvard, described the funding cuts as a "generational disaster for science and scientists."
Canada's Industry Minister Melanie Joly welcomed the professors, stating the country is "very glad" they are choosing to relocate. When asked about potential perceptions of poaching talent or escalating trade tensions, she responded that the US administration makes its own decisions, and Canada makes theirs.