As the federal government dismantles DEI programs, Northwestern Ph.D. students have found themselves navigating an increasingly hostile funding environment. Even before the $790 million federal funding freeze for NU was announced, national policies were causing uncertainty. 

The Trump administration has introduced numerous policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in academia. Executive Order 14151 titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” mandated an elimination of DEI-related programs across federal agencies. Numerous grants associated with DEI efforts were consequently cut — including at least 17 at NU.

The National Science Foundation compiled a list of banned words to be stripped from grant proposals. These words include “sociocultural,” “gender,” “advocacy,” “equality” and “women.” Inclusion of these words will trigger a review by the NSF. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also created a banned words list.

These changes have not only directly impacted grants earmarked for diversity-related projects; they’ve also slowed the review process for all grants to a halt, affecting the entire research ecosystem. The number of award winners for the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program has been cut in half from previous years, making a competitive process even more selective.

The Trump administration cut DEI-related grant programs

For a third-year neuroscience Ph.D. candidate, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, the administration’s new policy directly altered their funding source. A current training grant from the National Institutes of Health — geared toward preparing Ph.D. students to apply for larger federal grants in the future —  has supported two years of their research.

The student has been actively applying for federal grants to support the next three years of their program, specifically eyeing an NIH grant set aside to support students from minority populations, they said. Well into the application process, they found out the grant had been canceled.

“My application was due in April, and I found out that this was canceled in February,” the student said. “By that point you are already starting to write this grant, so I had to shift gears very quickly.”

Receiving the grant demands a lengthy, comprehensive review of each candidate’s research potential. The student said the reviewers examine factors such as the proposed project, individual character and institutional training and resources. 

“Once they compile it, it averages to about 60-ish pages, and it’s a very competitive grant, so it’s something that we can spend a good two months writing,” the student said.

Given the recent federal efforts against DEI, the student said they were advised to exclude minority-based initiatives from their resume in case it hurts their application.

DEI regulations cause cascading effects on federal funding prospects

Yessenia Rivera, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience, studies the cognitive processes of memory and attention from childhood to adulthood. Her research does not relate to DEI, but Rivera said she has still been caught in the crossfire.

Rivera said the recent delay in the review process has affected her grant proposal.

“Even if you’re not on this (banned words) list, it’s still affecting all labs, all funding, because everything needs to be stopped in order for them to ensure that they’re funneling through everything,” Rivera said.

Due to the hold on grant processing and the reduced awards, Rivera said her lab did not receive a grant to continue research. With the lab set to close in August, she said she plans to join another lab at NU to complete the remainder of her Ph.D.

A sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in neurobiology, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, shared similar concerns about the funding disruption. However, being near the end of their program, they said they are less directly impacted because they have already completed experiments that require funding.

The sudden disruption has not only jeopardized ongoing research — Ph.D. students’ salaries are also up in the air.

“What used to be a pretty reliable source of income is suddenly no longer guaranteed, which puts a lot of instability — I mean, that’s what pays my salary, which means that I don’t know if I’m gonna get a paycheck,” the student said.

Additionally, federal agencies have frozen certain grant funds, even for projects that have already been awarded federal grants, the student said. Though some money is still “trickling in” for certain labs and projects, labs across campus are not receiving the funds previously promised.

Even third-year students — who typically have three years remaining — are now being advised to graduate as early as possible given the uncertainty in funding.

“Funding is like the lifeblood of academic researchers,” the student said. “We just can’t do anything without it. So it’s impacting everything. It’s not only impacting the research that is being carried out — it’s very much impacting the careers of academics.”

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Related Stories:

— NSF joins NIH in terminating Northwestern grants 

— Trump’s ‘gender ideology’ executive order impacts students and faculty, stirs funding fears 

— Researchers express shock over stop-work orders, funding freezes