The 2019 Foreign-Born Nobel Laureates

In 2019, half of U.S. Nobel laureates were immigrants. Since the founding of the Nobel Prize in 1901, 34 percent of U.S. Nobel laureates have been immigrants or people working at U.S. institution of higher education at the time that award was conferred., During the past 19 years, the percentage of foreign-born winners has shown a steady increase.  In The 2019 Foreign-Born U.S. Nobel Laureates, the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University explores the relationship between immigration to the United States and outstanding achievement. Analyzing Nobel Prize data from 1901 to 2019, it finds that Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada where the top sending countries of U.S. immigrant winners, and that the largest share of foreign-born U.S. Nobel Prize winners was in the Physics category. The report uses tables and visuals to show prize categories and academic affiliations of immigrant award winners, as well as offering profiles of some of the winners. Similarly, the report shows a significant share of the winners of the MacArthur Fellowship (21.7 percent overall) and Rhodes Scholarships (in 2019, nearly half of recipients were immigrants or the children of immigrants) have been foreign-born. The author also emphasizes the important role of U.S. institutions of higher education, as many of them serve as both the entry point for these scholars as well as the host for international collaboration. Finally, the report reflects on recent policy changes under the Trump administration that may negatively impact foreign scholars’ ability to conduct their research in the U.S. and to engage in cross-border academic collaboration. It calls upon policymakers to consider the impact of immigration restrictions on immigrants’ ability to continue successfully contributing to the world’s knowledge and economy.

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