Decades of fossil fuel influence paved way for Trump’s assault on university research, study says

A study published in Energy Research & Social Science argues that fossil fuel companies, libertarian donors and conservative groups spent decades gaining influence over university governance, leaving campuses vulnerable to the Trump administration's 2025 crackdown on academic research. Lead author Noel Healy of Salem State University said regulated industries that help set research questions end up shaping the policies that follow, adding that fear of losing funding now discourages young scholars from pursuing sensitive questions, according to The Guardian.

The paper traces outside influence back to electric utilities that partnered with academics in the 1920s to oppose regulation, and to fossil fuel companies that funded research from the 1950s onward to sow doubt about the health effects of their products. Industrialist David Koch gave MIT more than $185 million and held a lifetime seat on its governing board, while six fossil fuel companies donated over $700 million to universities between 2010 and 2020, at times gaining influence over hiring and curricula. State legislatures have reinforced this, creating libertarian-funded academic centers outside faculty control and introducing more than 150 bills since 2021 targeting tenure and diversity programs.

Healy pointed to the administration's 2025 actions — freezing billions in funding, investigating 75 institutions, and canceling $4m in climate grants at Princeton University while accusing researchers of stoking "climate anxiety" — as evidence some scientists now avoid the phrase "climate change" in applications out of fear. He called for faculty committees to have power to reject compromising donations, saying transparency alone reveals such deals without stopping them.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →