John Clark, one of the three scientists who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2025 yesterday (Tuesday), warned that moves by US President Donald Trump aimed at transforming the field of science in the US raise extremely “serious concerns”.

The US president’s policy on science has translated mainly, since his return to the White House in January, into drastic cuts in funding earmarked for research and layoffs of scientists working in various federal agencies.

“This will cripple much of scientific research in the US,” John Clark warned in a statement to AFP, adding that he knows people who are already facing major funding cuts.

The British researcher, 83, who learned yesterday that the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to him and two other colleagues for their discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics, noted that they had benefited greatly from public funding and public resources in their work nearly four decades ago.

“It will be disastrous if this continues,” insisted John Clark, who works at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Assuming the current administration eventually leaves, it may take a decade to get back to where we were six months ago,” he continued, adding that this is a “huge problem” that is “completely incomprehensible to anyone who is a scientist.”

American Mary Brancoe, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday, also insisted yesterday on the importance of public funding for scientific research.

Asked by Agence France-Presse, officials of the committee that awards the Nobel Prize suggested that by attacking science, Donald Trump risked his country losing its leading global ranking in scientific research, which would have repercussions around the world.