Welcome to The Distressed Scientists Department, an experimental lab on paper exploring the art and ache of scientific research in the 21st century. If you’re new here, I’d like to invite you to read the manifesto.
We’ve all seen the headlines:
$2 billion slashed!
Grant approvals frozen!
43% decline in federal funding!
Yet I find that friends and acquaintances outside of research world don’t fully grasp the depth of what’s unravelling. The numbers flatten the fact that entire lives live inside of them, spanning immigration, career planning, even marriage. The emotions, the uncertainty, the very human cost of these cuts - they’ve felt faceless.
What follows is an unvarnished story told from inside the room. The Slack threads. The redacted meeting minutes. The tearful emails. The vulgarity.1
Please share this with anyone who felt the cut, or is telling similar stories. If you have reflections or rebuttals, or want to connect for any reason, the Department is open — you can reach me through DMs or X.
Act I: the Forecast
Act II: the Storm

Act III: the Fallout
La fin.
Images and conversations are a mix of mine and also from my network; all pieces are shared with consent from friends, colleagues, and mentors who trusted me — and you — with their most vulnerable moments. These individuals span labs, students, funding bodies, professors, research organizations, and scholarship committees.
This one hit so close to home. Where do you think people are going to end up? What happens to the future of research?
Thank you for sharing this! One of the best pieces I've read so far on this.