Non-US Institutions Marketing Positions to US Scholars Looking to Flee the Country
The continuous news about agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation having their funding cut and their grants being rescinded, the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, plus the high-profile emigration of some US academics, has created a marketing opportunity that non-US institutions of higher education are starting to take advantage of.
The message they’re sending is: “hey US academics, if you’re worried about lack of funding and freedom in the Unite States, come work here!”
And that message is sometimes directed specifically at philosophers.
For example, this is from a recent ad from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland circulated on PHILOS-L and posted on their website:
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics (INCET) at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, invites applications from US scholars seeking a postdoctoral position in a stimulating international environment, particularly those considering relocation to Europe due to recent US research funding reductions.
Our research interests include (but are not limited to) ethics, bioethics, practical ethics, experimental philosophy, moral psychology, philosophy of science, political philosophy, philosophy of law, and epistemology.
Jagiellonian University in Kraków is one of the oldest universities in Europe (established in 1364) and is now one of the best universities in Central Europe. The university offers an engaging academic and cultural life. The city itself is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Europe and offers many opportunities for spending leisure time.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) offer an opportunity to fund applicants’ own research fellowships at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics (INCET).
Expressions of interest for the US candidates looking to relocate to Europe due to recent US research funding reductions should be submitted by 31 May 2025 with 1) a CV with the list of publications, and 2) a short research proposal (no more than 1 page).
Institutions and individuals are welcome to list other opportunities aimed at providing an academic refuge for US philosophers.
(via Tomasz Żuradzki)
UPDATE (5/14/25): “The World Is Wooing U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump” reports The New York Times.
Would you really want to hire scholars whose career and outlook is deeply entrenched in the US? There is a risk that you would be bringing in people who would try to inflame US-style culture wars in your academic institutions and country. Furthermore, you would likely be bringing in a US-centric scholar who has the preoccupations and blindspots that typify US academia.
At the very least, you would want to screen any US applicants very carefully for these problems. But I would recommend looking instead to the Global South. It’s been great to see over the last decade how many promising, talented, and conscientious young academics there are now coming out of the Global South who, more so than the generation that preceded them, want to be part of the global conversation in academia while maintaining their unique (non-US centric) perspective. They often don’t carry the prestige markers that their US-counterparts do, but if you focus directly on the quality of their work you will be impressed. Furthermore, let’s be honest about the big picture. US cultural dominance is fading and several regions in the Global South are rapidly rising. This is an important development for the world. These changes may be happening at a slower rate in academia compared with other cultural domains, but they are nonetheless happening. So, hiring promising young academics from the Global South better sets your institution up for the future whereas hiring US-centric scholars may superficially look good (given some of the current prestige markers they have in their favor) but in the long-term will likely be to your disadvantage.