Columbia University laying off 180 researchers in wake of Trump's $400 million funding cuts

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on May 6, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Columbia University plans to lay off about 180 researchers after the Trump administration revoked $400 million in federal funding over claims the school did not do enough to protect Jewish students from harassment.

The staff were expected to receive notices Tuesday. The move impacts 1 in 5 Columbia researchers who were funded in whole or part by the canceled grants.

“We do not make these decisions lightly. We are deeply committed, at Columbia, to the critical work of invention, innovation and discovery,” read a joint statement from acting President Claire Shipman and other high-ranking administration officials in finance and research.

“Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”

Columbia has been fighting to restart the grants since the Trump administration revoked them over allegations it did not do enough to protect Jewish students from harassment amid the pro-Palestinian protests that gripped the campus last year.

The university made a number of concessions in an effort to recoup the funds, such as placing Middle Eastern studies under the supervision of a college administrator. Columbia later replaced its president who appeared to play down her cooperation with the administration behind closed doors.

Despite this, the federal government has not restored the funding.

In more recent weeks, Columbia has taken a tougher public stance against the Trump administration.

“Overly prescriptive requests about our governance, how we conduct our presidential search process, and how specifically to address viewpoint diversity issues are not subject to negotiation,” Shipman wrote in a April 14 memo to students and faculty.

_____