Who comes back and when? Return migration decisions of academic scientists

•We study return migration of foreign faculty based in US chemistry departments.•Return migration occurs early in the career.•Return migration is responsive to changes in income per capita in the source country.•The evidence on the effect of ability on the decision to return is mixed.

The net welfare benefit of the 'brain drain' of skilled workers depends on their propensity to return to their home countries. Yet, relatively little is known empirically about the return migration decisions of skilled workers. Here, I study a sample of 1460 foreign faculty in research-intensive US universities, using publicly available academic records to reconstruct career histories and create a longitudinal panel. Return occurs early in the career and is responsive to changes in income per capita in the source country. The evidence on the effect of ability on the decision to return is mixed.