A Bleak Future?

When The Analytical Scientist reached out for my “overall perspective on the future of science and analytical chemistry” back in January 2025, I couldn’t wait to talk about developments that have excited me. Over the last year, I’ve read so many interesting articles about new analytical techniques for studying diseases, assessing toxic molecules, and evaluating chemicals for national security. These studies showed the great presence of analytical chemistry in our homes and the effects it has on our everyday lives. However, developments over the last month or so have brought great heartache to my perspective, especially my overall view on the future – which now almost makes me ill to even think about.

Over the last 20 years as a researcher, professor, and principal investigator, the thing that’s brought me the greatest joy has been working with and training the next generation of scientists. When grants are not funded and manuscripts are rejected, trainees and students have the passion, enthusiasm and love for science that carries their mentors through the bad days. Since January 20^th, however, this joy has seen almost daily devastation, as each day I watch a scientist lose their job for no apparent reason.

What hurts in particular is watching the next generation of young, excited scientists, keen to make a real impact on the world, made redundant – often while still in their probationary periods. They are the ones who have been training on the latest and greatest techniques –  the ones we hoped could use these skills to develop new treatments and find cures for important diseases, especially those which cause harm to so many of our loved ones.

I therefore find myself wondering: how could these terminations possibly be justified? These scientists’ wages can’t be the primary cause of the deficit, and many have never been noted for any poor performance – some were even up for promotions. Their areas of research are extremely important, with many working on world problems such as food safety, homeland security and the prevention of future pandemics. Some were even evaluating better ways to diagnose and treat conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, and other leading causes of deaths globally.

So why this attack on science? Is it because we are too analytical? As scientists, it’s our responsibility to question every result and decision we make, as each could have an impact on human health and safety. We’re also expected to pay careful attention to detail and to generate reproducible results – are these really the qualities we want to eliminate from our workforce, and our population?

If I go back to the original question on the future of science and analytical chemistry, sadly, I’m left with more questions than answers. Current morale among scientists is extremely low, as skeleton forces remain to carry on missions for various centers and agencies (that is, if they can focus on research instead of worrying about a layoff email appearing in their inbox). Universities are being hit with huge cuts to funding for hiring, infrastructure, and research support staff – funds that were already awarded to them for successful grants. And this begs the question: what does the future hold for grant funding in general? Study sections to evaluate new grants are being cancelled and postponed daily, and without funding we cannot train students or do research. Therefore, universities are forced to decide whether they can even afford to bring on the next generations of scientists, while students who’ve trained for years are being turned away from higher education opportunities. 

How can all of this have happened in just one month? Will it be possible to pick up the pieces? How can we focus on national security and help those with cancer and dementia if science is no longer a priority? What is the future of science? 

While we wait for rulings on pauses, lawsuits and possibly more executive orders, even if everything were to be reversed tomorrow, we’ve fallen greatly behind where we were just a matter of weeks ago – a lot of the damage has already been done. Ultimately, science cannot start to move forward again until order is restored, chaos is removed, and our researchers and thinkers are no longer under attack.