Science after Government Money Disappears

Last week’s news about the folding of Scripps Research Institute, the premier research organization in chemistry and medical sciences, took everyone by surprise. We anticipate many such ‘surprises’ in the coming years.

For long term career planning, here is our mental picture of how various branches of science get affected after US government money disappears. The branches near the top of the triangle have the most fluff and will go away or shrink dramatically. Those near the bottom will be the ones least affected.

Please note that any similarity with Exeter triangle is not coincidental.