‘Soul crushing’: What’s at stake for defunded NYC researchers and their projects?

They were studying ways to stem the spread of HIV, combat vaccine hesitancy, and develop treatments for conditions like autism and schizophrenia.

Then their funding was suddenly cut off.

Hundreds of federal grants to New York City-based researchers have been canceled since President Donald Trump took office, including more than 300 at Columbia University and 61 at CUNY, according to those institutions.

A cloud of uncertainty now hangs over the research projects that were disrupted and the researchers themselves. Academics who discussed their work with Gothamist said they worried about the incalculable loss of scholarship in fields touching lives around the globe. But they also are considering the next steps in their careers and how to pay the rent.

“ I feel very worried about my career path,” said Xiao Wu, a 32-year-old assistant professor of biostatistics at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health who found out in March the early-career grant from the National Institutes of Health that he spent two years applying for had been terminated.

Wu had received the award several months prior and was excited to dig into his research on how best to warn people about dangerous heat waves — a topic that seemed likely to become increasingly relevant amid rising temperatures. He said the three-year, $450,000 grant funded most of his salary, and paid the rent on his home in New Jersey.

It’s unclear exactly how many grants to New York researchers have been affected. But as the Trump administration claws back money for scientific research at institutions across the country, New York has more on the line than almost any other state.

New York research centers received more than $4 billion in funding from the NIH and the National Science Foundation last fiscal year, placing the state second only to California, according to Axios. That funding supported more than 30,000 jobs statewide last year and generated more than $8 billion in economic activity, according to an analysis by United for Medical Research, a national coalition of research institutions.

The research sector is now on shaky ground, with more cuts in the pipeline. Trump has proposed cutting NIH funding from $48 billion to $27 billion in fiscal year 2026, and slashing NSF funding by half, to less than $5 billion. His budget proposal seeks to end NIH funding for studies related to climate change, race and gender.

In the case of some grants, including Wu’s and many others at Columbia, the Trump administration has cited antisemitism at the institution as the reason for canceling funding. Columbia is now faced with a list of demands to get that funding back — and conflicting views on how compliant the school should be.

But many researchers have simply been informed by the NIH that their funding was revoked because the topic or population they were studying “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” The Trump administration has also canceled grants intended to increase diversity in biomedical research.

Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the administration “is committed to restoring gold-standard, evidence-based science and focusing on research that directly improves the health of the American people.”

But the cuts have put the next generation of researchers in a precarious position, according to Andrew Little, president of UAW Local 4100, which represents about 2,000 postdoctoral researchers at Columbia and other institutions.

The majority of postdocs in the city come from other countries and typically work under more senior researchers on contracts that can be terminated at any time, Little said. “For someone who’s on a visa, getting your funding cut and losing your position is effectively like being deported,” he added.

The Trump administration is facing multiple lawsuits challenging the research cuts, while universities try to mitigate their losses. CUNY has “joined other universities in writing to agencies and elected officials, warning them of the potential consequences of pauses or funding cuts,” said Noah Gardy, a CUNY spokesperson.

Columbia continues to negotiate with the Trump administration and announced last week the creation of a Research Stabilization Fund, which will allow some researchers to apply for internal funding. But the university has also started laying off staff whose salaries were tied to canceled grants.

For researchers in New York and across the country, the future remains uncertain. Here’s a look at four of the New York City-based studies that were canceled, why researchers were told their funding was terminated and what it means for the researchers and the public at large.

Preventing the spread of HIV among drug users

Researcher: Christian Grov, distinguished professor of public health at the CUNY School of Public Health.

Grant amount: About $420,000 over two years.

About the research: Grov is trying to figure out how to get men who have sex with men and use methamphetamines to take a long-acting, injectable version of the HIV prevention medication PrEP. Past research has linked meth use to higher risk of contracting and transmitting HIV and worse outcomes from the virus.

PrEP is typically prescribed in the form of a daily pill, but Grov said, “ Not everyone can adhere to a pill every single day, particularly populations who use substances.” Grov’s study uses a series of surveys to determine where and when people would be most likely to accept bimonthly doses of injectable PrEP.

Why it was terminated: Studies based on “amorphous equity objectives” are no longer prioritized by the National Institutes of Health because they “ultimately do not enhance health, lengthen life or reduce illness,” and they support “unlawful discrimination,” according to the grant termination letter, which was shared with Gothamist.

Overall, the Trump administration has canceled more than $800 million for studies related to LGBTQ+ populations, according to a New York Times analysis.

Grov’s take: Grov said he’s worried about the future of HIV prevention research, since it typically focuses on groups that are vulnerable to the virus. “In the United States, that includes men who have sex with men, that includes persons of color and that includes transgender women,” Grov said.

Hoping for a reversal: Grov said he appealed the decision to the NIH and is waiting to find out if his grant will be reinstated.

Studying the brains of mice to learn about human psychiatric disorders

Researcher: Erica Rodriguez, associate research scientist at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.

Grant amount: About $1 million over five years.

About the research: Rodriguez, 35, is studying what happens in the brains of mice when they’re faced with different social situations, such as being confronted by a more dominant mouse. The goal, she said, is to use that information to gain insight into how human brains respond to social stimuli, since people with psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia often struggle to process social situations. This understanding could lead to new treatments, Rodriguez said.

Why it was terminated: Rodriguez was funded under the MOSAIC program, which was established during Trump’s first term to bolster biomedical research by supporting scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. During his second term, Trump has moved to eliminate any programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, including MOSAIC.

Rodriguez’s take: Rodriguez, who hails from Kew Gardens, Queens, and is a daughter of Dominican and Salvadoran immigrants, said she isn’t just diversifying biomedical research with her presence in the lab; she’s also helping others break into the field through mentorship and community outreach.

“ As I climbed up the scientific career ladder, I always wanted to pay it forward to the next generation of scientists,” Rodriguez said.

Looking outside the U.S.: Rodriguez said she was planning to seek out a tenure-track position at another university this coming fall and initially expected her grant to follow her, making her a more attractive candidate.

Now, her grant is gone and she expects faculty positions in the United States to become more competitive as some universities implement hiring freezes. To boost her chances of finding a job, she’s expanding her search abroad to places like Canada, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

Searching for the genetic causes of schizophrenia in South Africa

Researcher: Ezra Susser, professor of epidemiology and psychology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Grant amount: About $2.4 million over five years (building on a previous five-year grant).

About the research: For about a decade, Susser has been working with scientists in South Africa and Washington state to identify the genetic mutations linked to schizophrenia.

Understanding the biological causes of the disease “opens the door to prevention,” Susser said. He compared his study to research that ultimately revealed taking folic acid during pregnancy helps prevent certain birth defects.

South Africa is the best place to do genetic research because past studies have confirmed the African continent, where modern humans originated, is the most genetically diverse in the world, Susser said. He and his colleagues analyze blood samples collected from Xhosa people in South Africa with schizophrenia.

Why it was terminated: The award was pulled because of “unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest [Columbia] lacks concern for the safety and well-being of Jewish students,” according to the termination notice from the National Institute of Mental Health, which was shared with Gothamist.

The Trump administration has separately restricted aid and research funding to South Africa more broadly, and the NIH recently announced it would bar U.S. researchers from using federal funds to partner with foreign scientists.

Susser’s take: “It’s just soul-crushing,” Susser said of the grant cancellation and the broader cuts to research in South Africa.

Susser, who was born in South Africa, said his parents moved him to England when he was a child because they were persecuted for being “allies of [Nelson] Mandela.” He said his project is part of the “legacy of so many years of fighting against apartheid and then building the research infrastructure in South Africa.”

Susser is also Jewish and added that the Trump administration’s attempt to punish Columbia for antisemitism by yanking research funding “just doesn’t make any sense.”

Retiring before the work is done: Susser said he is planning to retire soon but is saddened that “ all the things I've done are kind of being erased.” Although the grant was slated to end at the end of 2025, Susser said he had anticipated being able to get a two-year “no-cost extension” to finish analyzing the data with award funds that had gone unused.

Using data to improve extreme weather alerts

Researcher: Xiao Wu, assistant professor of biostatistics at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Grant amount: About $450,000 over three years.

About the research: Wu aims to analyze data on existing weather alert systems to determine when they’re most effective and use those conclusions to develop new protocols for issuing extreme heat warnings. New York City logs about 580 heat-related deaths every summer, and the number has increased over the last decade as temperatures have risen, according to city data.

“It doesn't make sense to issue too many alerts because people will ignore those alerts,” Wu said. But sending out warnings at the “most critical moments” will ideally motivate people who are vulnerable to take precautions such as staying inside or going to a cooling center, he said.

Wu’s grant, known as a “K award,” is designed for early-career researchers to develop their skills, mentorship capabilities and expertise.

Why it was terminated: Wu’s award was on the list of Columbia grants terminated en masse by the Trump administration in March. The funding was pulled because of what federal agencies called “relentless violence, intimidation and antisemitic harassment” toward Jewish students.

Wu’s take: “Many people, including myself, consider the U.S. the major science and technology engine in the world,” said Wu, who came to the country from China in 2015 to pursue a graduate degree in biostatistics before getting his doctorate degree. Now, he said, things are “moving in the wrong direction” and he expects scientific advancement in the United States to slow down.

What’s next: Wu isn’t ruling out leaving academia. “It’s uncertain whether I can stay at Columbia or I need to find another job,” Wu said.