When U.S. President Donald Trump began slashing federal science budgets in January, many researchers feared for the future of their work. For Nicole Maphis, an Alzheimer’s disease researcher at the University of New Mexico, those fears quickly became reality.

At the time, Maphis was completing her postdoctoral studies and applying for a highly competitive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant designed to increase diversity in life sciences. As a woman from a low-income background, she qualified for the program and hoped it would help launch her career as an independent professor.

But by February, the funding opportunity vanished. Soon after, she was told her proposal had been pulled from consideration.

“I’ve never cried more as a scientist than in the last six months,” Maphis said. “To hear the NIH staff member say, ‘I’m so sorry but your application has been moved’—to what is essentially the trash—makes it seem that everything you’re doing is worthless.”

Maphis’s story reflects the broader struggle of U.S. researchers under the Trump administration’s cuts, which have hit programs supporting basic research, diversity in science, and long-term innovation.

As the administration shifts priorities, scientists across disciplines are mobilizing to advocate for stable funding, protect diversity programs, and defend the role of research in public policy.

The fight highlights a growing rift between the scientific community and political leadership, with many researchers warning that short-term cuts could undermine America’s global leadership in science and innovation for years to come.