US researchers at the University of Pennsylvania spent several years under USAID contracts. Currently, some of these individuals find themselves unemployed.
University Researchers Face Funding Cuts, Job Losses Under Trump Administration's Policies
In various universities across Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware, and the suburbs, researchers have been feeling the effects of the Trump administration's policies. One such researcher, political scientist Jeremy Springman, holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and was a research assistant professor until his funding ran out this summer.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded Springman's position, has been effectively dismantled by the Trump administration. As a result, Springman and his colleagues are now searching for new positions. According to Springman, many of the individuals they have collaborated with in the past five years have also lost their jobs abruptly, while he and his colleagues have at least a few more months before their financial support ends.
Springman had been working at the Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI), collaborating with political scientists, health policy researchers, economists, and experts from other fields. The PDRI aimed to address issues such as the impact of climate change on migration patterns and strategies to protect national parks from fires and poaching. In addition to Springman, data scientists, research assistants, and early career researchers have faced funding cuts and job losses. The group had sent out job offers that it has now had to cancel.
One of the projects Springman was involved in was designing a data collection and processing tool that used machine learning models and other techniques to monitor media coverage in more than 60 countries of interest to the U.S. government. The tool helped identify trends and generate reports for policymakers, potentially predicting countries requiring travel warnings from the State Department.
The group began this work in 2019, and each year, they would meet with USAID and other government agencies to discuss research priorities. "We had really carved out a space for ourselves where we could provide unique data and analysis that was of practical importance to the U.S. government," Springman said. Unfortunately, without ongoing resources, the team can no longer update the data, limiting the tool's usefulness to policymakers.
Political scientist Daniel Sabet, who had managed research projects at USAID for the past five years, experienced job loss as well. He lauded the collaboration between the team and their advanced technology for analyzing data in various languages, calling it "amazing." Because the tool produced real-time data rather than surveys with lengthy draw times, it was particularly noteworthy.
In response, a State Department spokesperson stated that they are continuing essential programs and investing in partners to strengthen the U.S. The statement did not address concerns related to research funding or projects. The University of Pennsylvania did not respond to a request for comment.
The loss of funding has far-reaching consequences, according to political scientist and executive director Heather Huntington. Her group, which partly relied on USAID contracts to study the effectiveness of projects, had been researching initiatives in Zambia for four years. As a result of the project's termination, an opportunity to evaluate the success of interventions on maternal and child health practices, community health workers, and anti-poaching measures will be missed. The remaining data will still be used for academic research.
Huntington and her colleagues designed courses and student projects around these research opportunities, helping students learn data collection, civil service work, and understanding social science. These projects, which involve working with nongovernmental organizations and local populations, may suffer from damaged U.S. reputation among development organizations globally if the government fails to honor its commitments.
It's essential to note that the search results do not specify a University of Pennsylvania study on the impacts of Trump administration policies on research related to climate change, migration patterns, and foreign policy decisions. However, the broader impact of these policies on research and academia can be inferred, affecting various fields, including those mentioned above.
- In the wake of funding cuts under the Trump administration's policies, researchers at various universities in Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware, and the suburbs are now engaged in career development, looking for new positions.
- The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by the Trump administration has led to a policy-and-legislation rift, with impacts far beyond just education-and-self-development, causing concerns for general-news outlets.
- Job search and self-development have become top priorities for researchers who have lost their positions due to the Trump administration's policies, including political scientist Jeremy Springman from the University of Pennsylvania, as they navigate the effects on their studies in fields such as political science, health policy, and economics.
