"China is attracting American scientific talent, especially in STEM fields, partly due to funding cuts and immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump."

"SHENZHEN, China — When Stephen Ferguson, a 35-year-old New Yorker, walked into a conference room here in June, he was shocked to find 50 people from China’s top scientific institution eager to hear about his experience working in this southern Chinese city.

Ferguson was recruited in 2023 as a biology researcher — despite having only been to China once before — and the delegation from the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences wondered what could be done to make the research environment first-rate.

The fact they wanted to hear from “some random guy from the U.S.” symbolized something much larger to him: “I feel like I’m in an environment where science is really being promoted — it’s growing, and they’re attracting a lot of talent,” he said. “They are making it easy to say yes.”"

Katrina Northrop and Rudy Lu report for the Washington Post November 6, 2025. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"NASA Has Lost Thousands Of Workers. Here’s What That Means For Science." (Washington Post) [3]