Gen Z Researchers Stay Committed to Research Despite Global Turmoil

Geopolitical instability, rising living costs, research funding cuts and declining public trust in science are creating uncertainty for early-career scientists worldwide. Graduate students and emerging researchers face increasing pressure as they make career decisions that could shape their futures. Among them are Generation Z scientists — people born after 1997 who are now entering their 20s and beginning careers in research.

Nature’s Careers team spoke with four Gen Z researchers about why they chose science, what motivates them to continue and how they manage anxiety about the future. They share practical career advice, lessons from their experiences and strategies for staying positive during challenging times in science and around the world.

TATIANA UAMAN SVETIKOVA: Choose a supportive research environment

Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf in Dresden, Germany.

I work on two physics research projects. The first examines non-linear terahertz effects in quantum materials. Put simply, I study how materials with unusual quantum properties respond when they are exposed to intense, ultrafast far-infrared light pulses. This research could support the development of ultrafast electronic devices, terahertz emitters and detectors, as well as future wireless communication technologies such as 6G. My second project, DiaQNOS, uses magnetic detection for medical applications, including monitoring brain activity during surgery. Although my speciality is condensed-matter physics, I joined DiaQNOS to apply my programming experience and contribute to data processing.

I want to remain in academia and research. There is a unique satisfaction in investigating questions at the limits of human knowledge and knowing that your work might expand that boundary, even slightly. However, during my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Moscow, I worried that an academic career would not be financially possible. It was extremely difficult to work in science full-time while earning enough to pay for basic expenses such as rent and food in such an expensive city. I moved to Dresden, Germany, for my doctoral degree because it gave me a way to continue working in science.

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In Germany, postdoctoral researchers earn approximately the average national salary, which generally helps to cover housing and everyday expenses. Geopolitical events are also affecting research funding and scientific support in Germany. Armed conflicts, the energy crisis, climate change, inflation and concerns about food and economic security are placing pressure on public budgets. When governments must respond to urgent needs, long-term investment in research can become harder to protect. Scientists have already felt the impact of funding reductions in recent years.

Even so, I appreciate Germany’s social-security system. For example, unemployment benefits can cover up to 67% of a previous salary for as long as a year, giving researchers time to find another position or move into a different field. I would leave academia only if I had no alternative. I value the intellectual freedom of research and the feeling that my work could make a useful contribution to society.

Remaining motivated during the current global uncertainty is not easy, but I follow a few principles that help. The first is to take motivation seriously and protect it. Passion is not an unlimited resource, so researchers need to make career decisions that sustain rather than undermine it.

International and immigrant researchers should also remain aware of intolerance and prejudice. I have not experienced direct or indirect hostility in Germany because of my nationality, including in the workplace, although I know other researchers who have. I can speak only about my own experience. Academia also continues to face significant structural gender inequality, as shown by the well-documented leaky pipeline affecting women in science. I have not personally experienced openly sexist treatment, but that is why it is important to research a potential laboratory carefully. Speak with current and former students about their experiences to reduce the risk of joining an environment where discrimination is tolerated.

When choosing a research field or position, consider the working environment as carefully as the scientific topic. Find out who your principal investigator and colleagues will be and whether the laboratory has reliable funding. Ask how the group communicates and whether its style suits you. It is also worth investigating how much independence researchers have, how disagreements are managed and whether conflicts are already affecting the team.

It is important to normalize confusion and the feeling of being “stupid”. Many PhD students assume that struggling means they are not intelligent enough to succeed. I remind myself that confusion is part of research. Feeling lost during a PhD does not mean you do not belong; it means you are learning to navigate questions that do not yet have clear answers. Uncertainty is a natural part of doing science.

MAYA DIXON: Build resilience and learn to recover from setbacks

PhD student in biomedical engineering investigating pancreatic cancer at Columbia University in New York City.

I am a second-year PhD student studying how pancreatic tumours cause cachexia, the severe and involuntary loss of fat and muscle experienced by many people with pancreatic cancer. My goal is to understand how tumours communicate with fat tissue and trigger this systemic metabolic disorder.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology in Canada, where I studied the genetics of invasive plants. I then joined a small company developing genetically engineered crops to improve drought resistance and yields. However, I wanted to broaden my research experience. I found a laboratory-technician position at Columbia University’s Institute for Cancer Genetics in New York City and applied despite having no background in medical science or cancer research. I moved to New York without ever having visited the city. After six months as a technician, I decided to pursue a PhD with geneticist Christine Chio.

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I am a first-generation university graduate. My father is a weapons technician in the Canadian Navy, and my mother is a seamstress from Japan. I have always enjoyed mathematics and science and hoped to earn a doctorate, either in medicine or academia. My interest in science grew during secondary school, when I took an advanced biology class and completed a project on viruses and bacteria. I was fascinated by the way something so small could have such a devastating effect on the human body.

Curiosity continues to motivate me as a researcher. I enjoy asking questions, discovering what comes next and finding an exciting piece of data. That feeling was new to me before I moved to New York, and it is difficult to give up. It also connects to the larger question of how my work might influence the world and leave something meaningful behind. My advice to young people considering a career in science is to prepare for failure.

In research, it can feel as though 95% of experiments fail, while only the successful 5% eventually becomes part of a paper. Yet unsuccessful experiments often provide valuable information and show you how to improve your next approach. Even when you struggle academically — as I did during my undergraduate degree — what matters most is how you respond. If you genuinely want to pursue science, you can recover and find a way forward.

At university, I surrounded myself with people who were performing well. We studied together, encouraged one another and helped me improve my grades. Building a strong support network is especially important when you are studying or working far from home. My parents never allowed me to give up easily, which helped me develop the determination to continue when circumstances became difficult. If you are struggling, rely on people who support and encourage you. It can make a significant difference.

JASPER CLAYTON: Advocate for a better scientific system

Postbaccalaureate fellow in anthropology at the Spatial Archaeometry Lab at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.

Archaeological fieldwork and excavation made me fall in love with archaeology. I am also drawn to the technology involved in the discipline. I work in a remote-sensing and geophysics laboratory as well as in a palaeobotany laboratory. I recently returned from fieldwork at a large Roman site in northern Croatia that produced olive oil. I am investigating the labour, production methods and long-term interactions between people and the environment at the site from the first century to the mid- or late second century.

The combination of engaging theory and hands-on fieldwork convinced me that archaeology is a career I could pursue for the rest of my life. I find the work both intellectually rewarding and exciting.

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