Reimagining STEM doctoral training
Summary
In an era of heightened global competition in science and technology and geopolitical tensions, United States leadership in science has been diminishing. The 2025 Nature Index found that in elite science journals, China accounted for 56% of the publications in 2024, whereas the US contributed only 10%. This is in stark contrast to 5 years earlier when the US still topped the ranking-but China's surge was becoming apparent. The rapid change indicates that a remodeling of the US science ecos
Content
# Reimagining STEM doctoral training
*Published: 2026 Feb 19*
In an era of heightened global competition in science and technology and
geopolitical tensions, United States leadership in science has been diminishing.
The 2025 Nature Index found that in elite science journals, China accounted for
56% of the publications in 2024, whereas the US contributed only 10%. This is in
stark contrast to 5 years earlier when the US still topped the ranking-but
China's surge was becoming apparent. The rapid change indicates that a
remodeling of the US science ecosystem is warranted, including the creation of
new paths to earning PhDs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) fields, if the United States is to cultivate a much needed, highly
skilled scientific workforce.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aeg3525