Convincing US scientists to take a pay-cut is hard work, says Rüdiger Hesse, who helps match scientists from abroad with labs in Europe
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American researchers want to move to Europe, but lower salaries are a deal-breaker for most, according to Rüdiger Hesse, a Brussels research policy veteran who now specialises in matching scientists from abroad with European host institutions.
“They are willing to look to Europe and willing to come, but you have to understand their personal needs. It’s difficult for them to have a 40% cut in salary,” he tells Science|Business.
Hesse spent 25 years working on European research policy as the head of the Max Planck Society’s Brussels office. He was a key advocate for establishing the European Research Council (ERC), now a prestigious fund for scientists the EU is using to lure talent from abroad.
Since leaving Max Planck, he has been helping scientists, mostly from the US east coast, relocate to Europe by matching them with host institutions. “I’m a bridging…
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