‘Staggering’ brain drain of US climate scientists may signal shift in scientific gravity
The ‘dreadful’ situation may herald a move in ‘bright young minds’ towards Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, CityU professor says
He said that out of 20-plus candidates for assistant professorships at CityU, half were working at leading US universities, including Columbia, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and Yale.
Horton said he had approached colleagues he knew in the US about job openings in hopes of supporting young scientists who might relocate to Hong Kong as a “safe haven”.
“I emailed them saying, ‘I know how dreadful the situation is. But maybe I can offer some hope for your young scientist.’”
He added: “Not many people are looking after the young ones who have not made their impact yet. We were the only ones.”
“You hear a lot in the press about the brain drain, and you hear stories about big scientists who went to China and France,” he said.
“But this is about the young generation – the bright young minds who would have driven US science for decades. They are coming to Hong Kong on the biggest challenge we face – climate.”
He said that had been involved in similar job searches in Singapore before and “we would be lucky to get one application from the US”, but if CityU’s initiative proved successful, then other universities in Asia might benefit.
Horton said the US used to be the dream location for scientists, but new immigration policies, “anti-intellectual” sentiment, research grant cuts and lay-offs at government agencies had prompted researchers to look elsewhere.
He has previously said that China’s willingness to invest in and support green initiatives made the country “the great hope in climate science”.
As a possible sign of this shift, Horton said that he and some of his peers believed that the annual conference of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society may supplant that of the American Geophysical Union as the premier event for climate researchers.
He also said the seismic shift presented an opportunity to tackle inequalities in areas such as race and gender.
“We have relied upon the established universities in the US to drive science and make innovations, technologies and transformations. In many cases, that has not been particularly done in a fair manner,” he said.
“Maybe we can create something new where … the colour of your skin, where you come from or your sexuality [do not matter],” he said.
Horton took up his new position in Hong Kong in April with the goal of establishing a climate research hub after nearly a decade in Singapore at Nanyang Technological University and then as director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore.
The British scientist, who also previously worked at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said “it was alarming what happened in the US, but I did know that there was a potential for attracting these young scientists”.
He added: “There is a short-term gain in this case for Hong Kong, but there is a long-term impact on global science. The US has led the way in science, and in particular in climate science, for decades now. It is going to be very hard for the community to recover from this.
“I want to improve my school and CityU. I have an interest in improving the standards of science in Hong Kong.
“But, ultimately, what I want to do is save the planet from climate change. If the US backs out of science and climate change, every one of us will be affected. It is a little bit bittersweet for me.”
He said that since top US universities had long been driving technological breakthroughs, “you were hoping that these universities would also do the science and innovation to solve climate [issues], but they are not.
“It puts even more pressure on me because now I have got the talent. I have got to make sure we use it.”
Horton said the ideal candidates would conduct research predominantly in Asia and collaborate with peers around the region.
“They are going to solve problems in Hong Kong, mainland China and Southeast Asia. We are going to hire people who either have experience or are actively interested in working with mainland China,” he said.