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· Föderation EN Mi 29.01.2025 06:52:47 But even if the system state returns to something resembling what was the status quo 48 hours ago, the solution to this mean field game may now be quite different. Many potential job candidates will factor in increased uncertainty in the funding and regulatory environment for mathematics in the US going forward, and may therefore accept competing offers in other countries. The number of participants in major US-based mathematical events, such as the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, may also be impacted. One could argue that any "brain drain" from the US would simply result in an equal and opposite "brain gain" in other countries, but this thinking again assumes an oversimplified linear model: in practice, the rest of the world would not be able to absorb all of the lost opportunities in the US in a single job cycle, and some mathematicians may end up leaving the field entirely, or not obtain as enriching a career as they would otherwise have been able to achieve. (6/7) |
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Föderation EN Mi 29.01.2025 06:52:57 The last comparable shock to my field was the 2008 global financial crisis. Due to that crisis, university budgets and endowments were suddenly upended. My colleagues and I received salary cuts; but more importantly, many open positions evaporated, and an entire generation of promising mathematicians was at risk of having their careers cut short. However, in the US a stimulus package was passed which, among other things, allowed the NSF to greatly expand its postdoctoral program on an emergency basis, and also maintain or temporarily expand other sources of NSF funding. This allowed hiring for that season to proceed at something close to normal levels, and in the end there was no major disruption to the expectations for what the career track of an academic mathematician in the US would be. To continue the mathematical formalism at the start of this post, the "mean field" of the mean field game stayed within the "effective regime" in which it could be understood by simpler models. A similar stabilization of expectations for the future would be quite welcome and helpful at this point. But the current administration has thus far not demonstrated much ability to solve mean field games effectively. (7/7) |
