University of Maryland community members are building momentum in their fight to protect faculty researchers from federal government funding cuts, but they still have some demands for university administrators.

Their efforts have been led over the past few months by the United Academics of Maryland-University of Maryland, this university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

UAM-UMD created a petition in October calling on university administrators to better support professional track faculty researchers whose jobs and research are at risk due to the Trump administration’s targeting of health and science studies. The petition has garnered more than 600 signatures as of Tuesday.

“Despite repeated requests, university leaders have not provided the information or resources needed to defend [professional track] researchers,” the petition read. “Our requests are reasonable: we seek information about the extent and impact of the cuts, and concrete action steps to mitigate the effects on [professional track] faculty of funding cuts.”

In response to The Diamondback’s request for comment on UAM-UMD’s campaign, this university referred to a campuswide email sent Thursday announcing a new set of research resilience initiatives totaling $8.75 million.

As part of the initiative, doctoral students, postdoctoral students and junior faculty members impacted by cuts will be eligible for $3.75 million in funding over three years as part of a broader partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

This university will also direct $5 million to its Preserve, Pivot and Grow Program, which aims to provide funding to researchers, academics and initiatives impacted by the cuts and help them pivot their research portfolios.

[UMD announces $8.75M to support researchers amid federal funding uncertainty]

UAM-UMD members consider these new developments as a step in the right direction toward protecting faculty researchers at this university.

“We’re very happy that both they heard us and that they recognized the dangers that the current situation posed,” UAM-UMD president Karin Rosemblatt said.

But some of their demands still remain unfulfilled, according to UAM-UMD communications chair Jade Olson, an associate clinical professor in the communication department.

She said that while the new initiatives successfully provide funding for vulnerable researchers, they do not include plans to inform faculty about the impact and severity of funding cuts or who may be most at risk of losing money.

The federal government has canceled at least $30 million worth of grants at this university, The Diamondback reported in September. Many of the grants were research grants awarded by federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

Professional track faculty rely on federal funding and partnerships, making them particularly vulnerable to grant cancellations, according to UAM-UMD’s petition.

UAM-UMD member and climate scientist Nina Randazzo said she is experiencing this job uncertainty firsthand. Randazzo is dually employed by this university through its Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 and the projected 2026 U.S. House Appropriations Bill threaten to slash funding for earth science research at federal agencies such as NASA.

[Trump administration moves forward with dismantling US education department]

NASA itself has also begun internal restructuring to align with the priorities outlined in the president’s budget request, Randazzo said, meaning her contract may not be renewed.

Some of her colleagues who have cooperative employment agreements with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association have already been unable to renew their contracts for similar reasons, she added.

“I had funding allocated for part way through … fiscal year 2026, so I am holding on,” Randazzo said. “If things go south, I will be losing my job.”

Community members are concerned that the university is asking researchers to pivot the focus of their work, which could turn out to be a difficult and complex task for those who have built their entire careers off of one topic, Olson said.

UAM-UMD also wants faculty members to have a say in any future actions regarding research funding. Olson said Thursday’s announcement leaves such decisions in the hands of administrators and deans.

“Our union stands for meaningful, true shared governance,” she said. “That’s something that we’ve consistently found lacking from this administration.”

UAM-UMD outlined their latest demands in an email sent Tuesday to community members who signed their petition in favor of professional track faculty researchers. The petition they created in October still remains active.

Rosemblatt said support for university researchers is necessary because they study topics that affect Maryland and the world, such as climate change, natural resources, race and gender.

Many faculty researchers have dedicated years of their lives to their work, the history professor added.

“These academic workers deserve more,” Rosemblatt said. “They deserve more from us.”