<p>I'm not quite sure how one makes grad school plans and decisions in this environment. Any body else worried? Got answers? What are you doing, if you are a young scientist? I'd love to hear any comments:</p>
<p>Here's a recent Huffington Post article</p>
<p>Budget</a> Crisis Hurts University Research Programs</p>
<p>and here's an example from University of California </p>
<p>Unfortunate as it is, in this climate, it’s reasonable to pick a lab in part based on a history of stable funding. You can look up potential PIs in RePORTER (NIH) or the equivalent databases for other agencies, and you can consider PIs with non-government funding like HHMI or foundation funding. </p>
<p>You should also seriously consider applying for fellowships (NSF GRFP, NIH NRSA, foundation fellowships, etc.) to cover your stipend. Money is tight even in the best labs, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t pull your own weight. </p>
<p>I just graduated a few months ago, and when I was selecting a postdoc lab, I considered funding source and quantity as a factor in my decision. I was very fortunate that my top-choice lab scientifically is also HHMI-funded.</p>
<p>On the bright side, if research dollars are permanently cut and grad programs contract, there will be less competition for jobs!..?</p>