The Brain Drain in Science and Tech

By /

Eleanor Crane

Eleanor Crane is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Quantum Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Title of photo : Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Crédit photo: Charles Krupa/Associated Press.

Science and technology are drivers of a nation’s competitiveness, security, and geopolitical standing. Deep tech, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI), sits at this nexus of science, economics, and defense—heralding a new era of technology-driven power balances.  It is easy to imagine the strategic power of future quantum tools. With quantum computers, new materials could be engineered (for example developing “high-temperature superconductors” enabling the transport of electricity without losses1), current cryptography standards could be made obsolete enabling access to crucial governmental, financial, personal, or other digitally encrypted data2,  and the increasingly disruptive problem of spoofing GPS navigation could be solved by developing mm-scale satellite-free inertial navigation systems transforming civilian and military applications.3 Yet a troubling reality emerges for Europe: some of the best minds into which Europe has invested depart, lured by the robust infrastructure and competitive salaries of U.S. universities and tech giants. For example, only a third of the Harvard Quantum Initiative Faculty are American, with one fifth being European. 75% of Europeans who carry out PhD-level research in the US also have the intention of staying in the US long-term.4  This is more than a solitary loss—Europe’s future prosperity and strategic autonomy are at stake when it fails to retain its brightest talent. This article delves deeper into this reality, drawing on both scientific and cross-disciplinary observations to highlight the role of identity and collective belief in shaping a brain drain that sees an egalitarian, introspective Europe lose its talent to the self-proclaimed Land of the Free. 

Every year, the best postdocs in quantum science face the choice of where to start their own research direction as faculty. When this decision is driven by money, they can choose to go to France, where the CNRS research position, the most prestigious faculty-level position France has to offer, will earn them and their family a salary below the national median income, with little or no startup funding to create their own research direction. Or they can choose a paycheck 3 times that amount at a U.S. university with state-of-the-art labs, funding pipelines, and entrepreneurial support. Beyond those hard factors, European countries offer a more extensive public transport network, much lower crime rates, better quality food, and, above all, free access to healthcare and education. But despite these advantages and Europe’s long-standing reputation for strong educational systems, Europe sends twice as many students to the U.S. – where education is alarmingly expensive – as it receives in return 5and close to no American postdocs choose to start their first research group in the EU.

At a panel on the “Brain Drain” held last January during the Harvard European Conference, a striking contrast emerged relating to the awareness about this imbalance in transatlantic mobility: students in science and technology were deeply engaged with the issue, both in number and in the intensity of their contributions. Students in law and political science, on the other hand, showed marked indifference. This is hardly surprising: law and politics remain largely tied to national or regional governance structures, making transatlantic mobility less relevant. Art, too, resists this intellectual migration. More than any science, more than law or politics, art is rooted in identity. One paints with the colors of one’s childhood, writes with the ink of one’s mother tongue: Art is identity – L’art est identité – Kunst ist Identität.

The United States has understood the central role of identity in attracting and retaining talent. The U.S. writes its own narrative, where reality and imagination coexist. People from around the whole world perceive the U.S. as the ultimate land of opportunity. The U.S. exports a deep-rooted sense of national pride. Even the homeless who sleep on MIT’s doorstep to avoid the snow with plastic bags around their swollen ankles—for which they do not have access to healthcare—still carry the American flag on their backs. In academia and research, where facts and data should reign supreme, belief in America’s superiority plays a crucial role in shaping career decisions. Beyond salary advantages, the U.S. benefits from a far more powerful psychological and cultural force: belief. 

Europe, by contrast, often engages in self-criticism. Intellectual traditions in France, Germany, and the UK emphasize questioning, deconstructing, and critiquing national narratives rather than reinforcing them. While this introspection is an intellectual strength, it also inadvertently feeds into the perception that Europe is in decline, even when reality suggests otherwise. For example, economic and social inequality in Europe remains significantly lower than in many other parts of the world, particularly when compared to the U.S.6 Healthcare systems ensure that all citizens have access to essential medical services, reducing disparities in health outcomes, life expectancy and financial burdens. Regulations on food and housing contribute to affordability, safety, and quality, ensuring that basic needs are met for a larger portion of the population. Furthermore, Europe consistently ranks among the best globally in terms of accessibility and academic performance. Yet the image projected at home and abroad lacks the aspirational force of the American narrative. Some of the best students to come out of the European education system are currently wearing MIT jumpers, Harvard hats, and Princeton bags. Their memories of what gave them those opportunities are in the shadows.

“People underestimate the role of luck and chance in life. People, especially successful people, especially the kind graduating from Princeton, build their narrative leaving the chance out. It is all about them being great. They think I got through all these filters, I got into Princeton, I got the A. They forget who their parents were, that Princeton exists, that they don’t have to go to war for their country, that they were born with the genes they have, whatever it is, all this fortune in their lives. The absence of that awareness leads people to a very selfish place. The presence of that awareness leads people to a very grateful place and a broader sense of their relationship with the world.” (Michael Lewis, interview with Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell)

The challenge for Europe is twofold. First, it must invest in its scientific and technological institutions. Initiatives such as Horizon Europe7 have made strides in this direction. Second, and perhaps more importantly, Europe must reclaim its own narrative. The brain drain in science and technology is not just an economic or institutional challenge; it is a battle of belief. As long as the U.S. remains the dominant storyteller of its own greatness, and Europe remains mired in self-doubt, the imbalance will persist. So, while constructive criticism is vital for progress, it should not come at the expense of national and continental confidence. Europe’s incredible and unique strengths — its social fabric and quality of life which have long been fertile ground for the emergence of stunning intellectual traditions — must be celebrated in the context of the salary gap and promoted as valuable assets. If Europe keeps a strong sense of belief and identity, it will remind students travelling abroad where opportunities were created, what role they play in shaping the world around them, and how to balance this with personal factors, income, and quality of life.

Europe works hard, but it does not proclaim itself. Scarred in its conscience since the end of World War II, it questions and reexamines itself endlessly, at the risk of losing all conviction. And yet, we urgently need that conviction if we, too, want to take part in the extraordinary technological adventures ahead. There is no time to waste—we must reconnect with the dream, or perhaps simply with reality. Only by doing so can Europe remain alive in the global ballroom of minds. To sustain its momentum in this new technological world order, Europe must dare to affirm itself and its values, as essential.

  1. Quantum simulation will speed-up chemical and materials discovery. Near-impossible with classical computers, this problem could be accurately solved with quantum computers only a few hundred times larger than those demonstrated today. This is a scale which quantum companies project to reach by the end of the decade. [Bluvstein, et al. (2024). Nature 626, 58–65; Google Quantum AI (2025). Nature 638, 920–926.] ↩︎
  2.  It has been shown that it would require a quantum computer only a few hundred thousand times larger than those already demonstrated today to access data encrypted with the current minimum security requirement. This is a scale which many quantum computing companies project to reach before 2040. [Gidney, C., & Ekerå, M. (2021). Quantum, 5, 433.] ↩︎
  3. Advanced navigation is an example company developing such systems: https://www.advancednavigation.com/tech-articles/the-future-of-inertial-navigation-is-classical-quantum-sensor-fusion/. In general, quantum sensing will impact applications requiring high precision. For example, recently the development of the first nuclear clock was announced, which could lead to unprecedentedly precise clocks useful for example for geodesy [Zhang, et al., (2024) Nature 33, 63–70]. ↩︎
  4. Zwetsloot, R., Feldgoise, J., & Dunham, J. (2020). Trends in U.S. Intention-to-Stay Rates of International Ph.D. Graduates Across Nationality and STEM Fields. Center for Security and Emerging Technology. ↩︎
  5. In 2022/23, 89,906 international students from Europe enrolled at a U.S. higher education institution (Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange). Europe continues to host the largest number of U.S. students pursuing full degrees abroad, with almost 40,000 students (IIE’s Project Atlas) ↩︎
  6. In 2022/23, 89,906 international students from Europe enrolled at a U.S. higher education institution (Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange). Europe continues to host the largest number of U.S. students pursuing full degrees abroad, with almost 40,000 students (IIE’s Project Atlas) ↩︎
  7. Horizon Europe is the European Union’s framework program for research and innovation for the 2021–2027 period, with a budget of over €95 billion to support science, technology, and Europe’s global competitiveness. ↩︎

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