UK physics postdocs ‘planning for alternative employment’

Almost 90 per cent of early career researchers in physics disciplines are “seriously considering” alternative roles outside the UK after a series of funding cuts at the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

A survey, carried out by King’s College London particle physicist Lucien Heurtier and Karlsruhe Institute for Technology theoretical physicist Simon Williams, also found that 69 per cent of postdocs and PhD students in the field are planning to leave the UK for their next job.

Heurtier and Williams analysed the responses of 405 UK-based early career researchers across particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The pair are planning to send a letter with their findings to the House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee – which has previously raised concerns about the cuts.

The survey revealed that 89 per cent of junior academics are “seriously considering alternatives” to a UK research career – including moving overseas, transferring to other research careers or seeking other employment outside academia. Williams was a postdoctoral research associate at Durham University last year and has since moved to Germany for a research position.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, Heurtier said: “The scale of the overseas figure is a serious warning about the UK’s ability to retain its emerging scientific talent.”

“At the moment, for young PPAN researchers, it feels like opportunities in the UK – which were already limited – have gone. It is therefore difficult for them to see a viable long-term future in the UK,” he added.

“This seriously damages optimism for [early career researchers] trying to build an academic career in the UK, and for many, looking abroad is the only alternative at the moment.”

The STFC leader Michele Dougherty has committed to maintaining postdocs across PPAN at a minimum of 2025-26 levels – but impacted early career researchers have warned that the amount is a marked reduction compared with previous years.

The study also found that only one in 20 believe they can confidently secure their next position in the UK, while three-quarters of respondents whose contracts end in 2026 have not yet secured their next position.

Heurtier carried out a similar survey earlier this year, that showed similar levels of pessimism about careers in the field. This was before the Science and Technology Facilities Council had announced the outcome of a prioritisation process that determined where the funding cuts would fall. The council is facing cost overruns of about £600 million over four years.

frances.jones@timeshighereducation.com