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‘Will you leave US for China?’ It depends, mathematician Terence Tao says

Trump funding cuts have left situation more ‘fluid and unstable’ than at any time in the last 30 years, Tao says

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Australia-born mathematician Terence Tao became a tenured professor at UCLA at the age of 24. Photo: Masterclass

Would mathematician Terence Tao consider leaving the United States for Hong Kong or mainland China in light of funding cuts under the Trump administration?

When the South China Morning Post put the question to the Fields medallist and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) professor, his response was measured but telling.

“The situation is very fluid and unstable right now – far more than it has been at any previous point in the last 30 years,” Tao wrote in an email on August 21.

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As Trump funding cuts hit even maths prodigy Terence Tao, China remains a talent magnet

Trump-era cuts are hobbling US research, while China has stepped up efforts to attract science and tech talent, particularly mathematicians

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Fields medallist Terence Tao has posted on social media about the impact of the funding freeze for his UCLA lab and research programme. Credit: Reed Hutchinson/UCLA

Renowned mathematician Terence Tao says funding delays at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have left his lab struggling to support graduate students and research projects.

Not only Tao, but the entire UCLA system and several other top universities have been impacted by federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump.

The predicament in the US scientific community sharply contrasts with China’s active efforts to attract talented science and technology researchers, particularly mathematicians.

“The suspension of my grant has a non-trivial impact on myself, and now gives me almost no resources to support my graduate students going forward,” Tao – often called the “Mozart of Mathematics” – posted on social media on Saturday.

“In particular, my summer salary, which I had already deferred to allow the previously released NSF funds to support several of my graduate students over this period, is now in limbo,” he added.

He was referring to the National Science Foundation (NSF) which, along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is among the top US government institutions hit with sharp funding cuts since Trump took office in January.

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