Senior scientists have warned that the UK’s field of particle theory faces an existential threat after universities were informed of severe cuts to research funding. Professor Brian Cox, a physicist and TV presenter at the University of Manchester, described the impact as the “destruction of the future”.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has slashed grants for theoretical particle physics from 2026 to 2030 by nearly 70%, meaning fewer than 20 postdoctoral researchers per year will be working in the field across the country. This follows a funding delay that could leave the UK with no new postdoctoral researchers in the discipline this year.
Professor Jeff Forshaw, also at Manchester, said the cuts were “annihilating” a field that inspires young people and fires the public imagination, covering topics such as the Higgs boson, black holes, dark matter and the big bang. He added: “Young postdoctoral researchers are the lifeblood of scientific progress and they are the primary immediate victims.”
The University of Manchester, where Ernest Rutherford discovered the proton, has been hit particularly hard, with its particle theory grants reduced by 90%. One senior physicist at a prestigious university said some physics departments were likely to close, and colleagues had already secured positions abroad.
The STFC said its budget faced “particular pressures” due to inflation and higher costs for international projects like Cern, but insisted support for relevant training and skills would rise. However, more than 600 international researchers have signed an open letter in support of UK physics, and scientists in industry have urged the government to reconsider the “drastic action”.
