Leaving the United States and working abroad: Building a framework for American scientific leadership

这项研究考察了在美国接受教育、在国外工作的科学家和工程师的职业经历和成果。美国在科学、工程和高等教育领域仍处于全球领先地位。然而，相对而言，美国的地位已经下降，继续保持科学领导地位不再得到保证。随着世界其他地方科学能力的扩大，对高技能科学和工程工人的竞争也在加剧。今天，美国高等教育处于科学家和工程师双向全球流动的中心。在美国接受教育的科学家和工程师的外流对创新和经济竞争力具有潜在的影响，但是，到目前为止，还没有对在国外接受美国教育的科学家进行系统的检查。这项研究填补了以下方面的知识空白：(1)确定哪些科学家和工程师最有可能离开这个国家，(2)了解他们离开的原因，(3)以及他们在国外的经历。这项研究的结果为旨在将高技能科学家和工程师留在该国并最大限度地提高他们对科学进步和创新的贡献的政策提供了具体的影响。本研究采用两阶段研究设计。第一阶段使用由美国国家科学基金会下属的国家科学与工程统计中心进行的调查合并的数据。定量分析确定了在美国接受教育的科学家和工程师在国外居住和就业与在美国生活和工作的相关因素。第二阶段包括收集和分析在美国接受教育、目前在国外大学工作的科学家和工程师的访谈数据。定性样本包括在加拿大、中国、韩国和英国大学工作的生物学家、计算机和数学科学家以及心理学家。采访数据揭示了为什么研究人员选择离开美国，他们在国外的职业经历，以及他们对美国科学和工程的全球地位的印象。这两个阶段的研究结果都有助于制定一个与政策相关的框架，以了解在美国接受教育的科学家和工程师向外流动的情况。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This study examines the career experiences and outcomes of U.S.-educated scientists and engineers who are working abroad. The U.S. remains the global leader in science and engineering and higher education. In relative terms, however, the U.S. position has declined, and continued scientific leadership is no longer guaranteed. As scientific capacity expands elsewhere in the world, competition for highly skilled science and engineering workers increases. Today, U.S. higher education is at the center of a two-way global flow of scientists and engineers. The outflow of U.S.-educated scientists and engineers holds potential implications for innovation and economic competitiveness, but, to date, there is no systematic examination of U.S.-educated scientists abroad. This study fills the knowledge gap by: (1) identifying which scientists and engineers are most likely to leave the country, (2) understanding why they leave, (3) and their experiences abroad. Findings of the study provide specific implications for policy aimed at retaining highly skilled scientists and engineers in the country and maximizing their contributions to scientific advancement and innovation. This study features a two-stage research design. Stage 1 uses data merged from surveys conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within NSF. Quantitative analysis identifies factors associated with residence and employment abroad versus living and working in the U.S. among U.S.-educated scientists and engineers. Stage 2 involves collecting and analyzing interview data from U.S-educated scientists and engineers currently working at universities outside of the country. The qualitative sample includes biologists, computer and mathematical scientists, and psychologists, working in Canadian, Chinese, South Korean, and British universities. Interview data uncover why researchers chose to leave the U.S., their career experiences abroad, and their impressions about the global status of American science and engineering. Findings from both phases contribute to developing a policy-relevant framework for understanding out-mobility among U.S.-educated scientists and engineers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.