Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I just want to raise some awareness about planned cuts to astronomy, astrophysics and space science funding that’s been proposed in the UK. The Science and Technology Facilities Council, or STFC, have outlined that the budget for astrophysics, particle physics, and nuclear physics together will drop by around 30%, but that the community should also plan for scenarios where their funding is reduced by 20%, 40% and 60%. So why is this happening? Well according to UK research and innovation, UKRI, it’s because STFC’s cost base has increased significantly due to the type of facilities and services it manages. What that means, is that science grant funding is directly in competition with facilities facing rising costs from things like increased energy costs. The facilities are used by many other disciplines, from physics to medicine, and yet astro and nuclear physics are the only areas expected to make research budget costs to offset this. It’s a huge hit for the community, research budgets go towards paying people: early career researchers like myself and PhD students. There will be less jobs in the future for current up and coming generation and therefore less research getting done here in the UK. Which is very frustrating as a nation that’s always punched above its weight when it comes to astro and space science. These are still proposed cuts, so if you’re a UK resident, I’ll pop a link int he description to a template letter that you can send to your MP to ask them to oppose the proposed changes.
Template letter to write to your MP opposing cuts to UK astronomy funding - ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/ras-fellows-urged-lobby-against-unprecedented-cuts
UKRI letter explaining funding cuts - ukri.org/news/open-letter-from-ian-chapman-to-research-and-innovation-community
#astronomy #astrophysics #budget #space #science #funding
👩🏽💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.
drbecky.uk.com
I just want to raise some awareness about planned cuts to astronomy, astrophysics and space science funding that’s been proposed in the UK. The Science and Technology Facilities Council, or STFC, have outlined that the budget for astrophysics, particle physics, and nuclear physics together will drop by around 30%, but that the community should also plan for scenarios where their funding is reduced by 20%, 40% and 60%. So why is this happening? Well according to UK research and innovation, UKRI, it’s because STFC’s cost base has increased significantly due to the type of facilities and services it manages. What that means, is that science grant funding is directly in competition with facilities facing rising costs from things like increased energy costs. The facilities are used by many other disciplines, from physics to medicine, and yet astro and nuclear physics are the only areas expected to make research budget costs to offset this. It’s a huge hit for the community, research budgets go towards paying people: early career researchers like myself and PhD students. There will be less jobs in the future for current up and coming generation and therefore less research getting done here in the UK. Which is very frustrating as a nation that’s always punched above its weight when it comes to astro and space science. These are still proposed cuts, so if you’re a UK resident, I’ll pop a link int he description to a template letter that you can send to your MP to ask them to oppose the proposed changes.
Template letter to write to your MP opposing cuts to UK astronomy funding - ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/ras-fellows-urged-lobby-against-unprecedented-cuts
UKRI letter explaining funding cuts - ukri.org/news/open-letter-from-ian-chapman-to-research-and-innovation-community
#astronomy #astrophysics #budget #space #science #funding
👩🏽💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.
drbecky.uk.com
