Illustration: Bodara

doctorates were awarded in the natural and engineering sciences in the USA in 2023, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. That’s more than ever before – and will probably stay the biggest number for a long time. Budget cuts mean that many universities have begun reducing their programmes. According to the online magazine ‘Undark’, only 11 percent of graduates in computational science have prospects of a permanent job in academia. So, producing fewer graduates should not prove an insurmountable problem. Nevertheless, Donna Ginther, a professor of economics at the University of Kansas, is pessimistic for the world of science: “It’s going to impinge on future economic growth”, she says.