When C&EN’s editors sift through hundreds of nominations for the coveted Talented 12 recognition, we look at candidates’ intellect, creativity, research impact, and ability to lead and mentor. Sometimes, trends become obvious later. This year, after picking our final 12, we realized that 4 have PhDs from Stanford University. This could mean that people with game-changing ideas choose a certain institution, or that certain institutions cultivate world-class innovators. Or, it could be a complete coincidence.
We also couldn’t help but notice one common thread in this year’s cohort: nine are immigrants. One moved from the Czech Republic to Germany. Others grew up in China, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mali, Réunion Island, or South Korea before moving to the US for its promise of allowing free thought and delivering on dreams.
We will not deny that we might have chosen this year’s cohort with a subconscious, or even explicit, bias toward those who have achieved success despite unfavorable odds. That might have been what made these early-career researchers stand out. But it shouldn’t take away from the fact that they are stellar scientists. And it shouldn’t change the conversation about immigrants, the value of research mobility, and how it impacts the trajectory of science.
The story of immigrants shaping science and innovation is hardly new. Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and Nikola Tesla were US immigrants who are well known for their contributions to science. But the list of scientific luminaries who immigrated to the US is much longer and includes many more Nobel Prize winners. An analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) shows that immigrants have been awarded 40% of the Nobel Prizes won by Americans in chemistry, physics, and physiology or medicine since 2000.
The impact of immigrant scientists maps to changes in US immigration law of the 20th century (PDF) that allowed an inpouring of talent from around the world, according to the NFAP. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 opened doors to potentially anyone, regardless of national origin. Between 1901 and 1959, only one immigrant to the US won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Between 1960 and 2014, 23 immigrants won it.
There is no dearth of homegrown creative talent in the US. But immigrants bring something unique. They make a conscious choice to cross a border or an ocean, leaving behind family, friends, culture, and their country. When you suffer a loss like that, what makes it worthwhile is working hard and finding success. That reflects a special courage.
Tales of immigrant dreams are heard often in academic and industry hallways. But for many immigrants in the US, those dreams are starting to feel like nightmares.
The Donald J. Trump administration has rolled out several policies to stem the immigration of skilled people into the country. These policies include restricting the number of international student visas awarded each year, revoking visas of science and engineering students, and slapping a $100,000 fee on new H1-B visa applications. Seizing on this gap, China is creating visa policies to draw more talent to its shores.
Meanwhile, cuts to US federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health have left scientists unable to secure grants to carry on important, even lifesaving, research. In its first year, the administration tried to cut over $32 billion in research funding.
“The America we inhabit today bears almost no resemblance to the country I chose all those years ago,” Jack Szostak, a Canadian American biologist at the University of Chicago writes in a recent post. After arriving in the US in the 1970s, he went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009.
Women and early-career researchers are being hit hard, and many scientists are considering leaving the country—or have already left. The US might no longer be the beacon of research and inquiry it was when most of C&EN’s T12ers came here for their PhDs or postdoctoral studies.
Could the Talented 12 Class of 2026 be one of the last that boasts this kind of mobility? That would be a shame for US science.
This editorial is the result of collective deliberation in C&EN. For this editorial, the lead contributors are Bethany Halford and Prachi Patel.
Views expressed are not necessarily those of ACS.
