I wanted to become a professor for as long as I remember. “I will study Chemistry and get a Ph.D.,” the 15-year-old me told her father- crushing his dream of raising a doctor in the family. A family where I was the first-generation university student. A family where continuing education after 16 years was a huge deal for men, much rather for women.
Growing up in a lower middle-class family at a small village with limited access to resources and little to none guidance, having just the ambition of becoming a scientist was nothing short of extraordinary.
I couldn’t afford that dream but I never stopped trying.
While applying for Masters program at NUST, I told my parents that I would quit if I couldn’t get a scholarship- betting everything on USAID scholarships which had 50% quota for women.
USAID did eventually save my life..
I not only received a fully funded scholarship to cover my Master’s degree, but I got selected for the USAID exchange program to visit the United States.
My first ever international experience, all paid for by USAID. The experience that opened many doors for me.
A year later, I won a fellowship to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I received my Ph.D. I became a renowned scientist. I became a policy maker.
Would I still be all that if USAID didn’t take a chance on me? Probably not in the same way.
Funding Suspension and Its Impact
The USAID funding cut is part of broader reductions in US foreign aid under the “America First” policy, leading to the suspension of multiple initiatives across Pakistan. The $30.7 million scholarship programme was among the casualties, severely impacting students from low-income backgrounds, particularly those from areas devastated by the 2022 floods.
In a country like Pakistan where women’s education is still a taboo, death of programs like USAID, Tech Women, and Global Ugrad means much more than just a lost opportunity. It represents the crushed hopes of millions of aspiring girls. And not just the aspirants but their families. Many of those program’s awardees continued their academic career within the U.S. and supported their families back home.
The problem is deeper than we can imagine. These programs were dismantled because billions in the federal funds had been frozen by the U.S. government earlier this year.
Those funds didn’t just represent USAID and international programs, the major portion was of the research grants for academic institutions and national laboratories in the U.S. Those grants ultimately fund the Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers, who now face immense challenges.
A shift in Academia – Researchers struggling to retain their jobs in the U.S.
Academia all across the U.S. is going through a hiring freeze. Ph.D. and Postdoc offers are being rescinded. Faculty positions are being slashed. Federal scientists and researchers are being fired.
Harvard University recently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that its freezing of federal grants worth billions of dollars is unlawful.
Harvard’s president, Alan M Garber, announced the action on Monday in a letter to the university community, which said the $2bn funding freeze would hamper critical disease research.
Harvard, the world’s richest university, last week rejected a list of demands that the Trump administration said was designed to curb diversity initiatives and fight anti-semitism at the school.
Despite such resistance, the future of science and innovation is uncertain as the academic institutions and even startups are struggling to maintain their research activities. Many established research programs at renowned institutions are halted.
International mobility and women’s education
U.S. institutions, long prized by international scholars for their robust research ecosystems, now offer fewer opportunities. The international talent mobility will be hit hard.
Limited funds translate to fewer research projects for academia, which directly impacts the ability of professors to hire Ph.D. students as research assistants for their grants. Many departments will drastically cut back on inducting Ph.D. and postdocs (as evident by the hiring freezes), making the graduate admissions highly competitive.
In such a cutthroat environment, women and disadvantaged individuals from marginalized communities will be the ones who are most affected.
Should international students still target U.S. graduate schools?
It makes it challenging if we put all our hopes in one place – the U.S. in this case. For the next few years, (as a result of funding cuts), the scientific research and innovation within the U.S. will continue to suffer, making it increasingly difficult for international researchers, especially women, to enter and survive. The research assistantships and postdoctoral opportunities have become largely unstable.
U.S. used to be a hub for scientific innovations and international mobility, but not anymore. And the world still has plenty to offer. Find top professors in your field and reach out to them regardless of where they are based. But remember that the competition will be tough this year.
Advice for study abroad aspirants
Aspiring scientists wanting to stand out in such a competitive landscape should learn to market themselves in addition to enhancing their academic profile. Learn communication skills and get more visibility through conferences and social media.
Through my academic pursuits, I have learned that self-awareness is the key. Students should understand what they are passionate about. They should do research on their target institute and professors. They should understand the value they can offer to (and gain from) the host institution. They should be aware of the career opportunities and immigration pathways because navigating life as a foreigner is not any easier even after graduation. Knowledge is power and makes us vigilant about our choices.
If you belong to an underrepresented group and you can’t leverage financial or social privileges, remember that resilience and perseverance will take you forward. You can’t get what you give up on. So keep showing up, for yourself, and for science! I did too..
Editor’s Note:
Dr Sara Sultan Aqib is a role model for millions of Pakistani girls and women willing to pursue their careers in offbeat science fields. Born and raised in Haripur, KPK, Sara completed her Master’s in Energy System Engineering from USPCASE NUST. She attended a semester exchange program at Oregon State University through a USAID project.
After graduating from USPCASE in 2017, she earned a prestigious fellowship by the U.S. Department of Energy to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) – the world’s biggest energy lab. She joined the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee (UTK) to pursue a Ph.D. in Energy Science and Engineering.
During her Ph.D., Sara’s groundbreaking research on thermal energy storage garnered numerous accolades, including being named a Linda Latham Scholar by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), being selected as an innovator through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s tech-to-market accelerator program, IMPEL+, and winning various best paper awards at conferences such as Duke Energy Week.
Sara, currently a senior staff member in the Buildings Standards Branch of the California Energy Commission (CEC), leads the policy development for thermal storage and building envelopes, streamlining the compliance and rule-making for California’s energy code.
A proud alumnus of the University of Tennessee, she was recognised as “40 under 40 alumni” and joined an esteemed rank of alumni who demonstrated exemplary leadership and extraordinary achievements in their fields. Read more
More from the Author: Climate Change and Residential Buildings – The way forward
Sara Sultan is a Ph.D. scholar at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and works for the U.S. Department of Energy. After graduating from USPCASE NUST in 2017, she joined the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where she is currently living. She has been working on ‘Thermal Storage for Buildings’ as her doctoral research at ORNL, the biggest national lab in science and energy.
