Human behaviors, including scientific activities, are shaped by the hierarchical divisions of geography. As a result, researchers' mobility patterns vary across regions, influencing several aspects of the scientific community. These aspects encompass career trajectories, knowledge transfer, international collaborations, talent circulation, innovation diffusion, resource distribution, and policy development. However, our understanding of the relationship between the hierarchical regional scale and scientific movements is limited. This study aims to understand the subtle role of the geographical scales on scientists' mobility patterns across cities, countries, and continents. To this end, we analyzed 2.03 million scientists from 1960 to 2021, spanning institutions, cities, countries, and continents. We built a model based on hierarchical regions with different administrative levels and assessed the tendency for mobility from one region to another and the attractiveness of each region. Our findings reveal distinct nested hierarchies of regional scales and the dynamic of scientists' relocation patterns. This study sheds light on the complex dynamics of scientists' mobility and offers insights into how geographical scale and administrative divisions influence career decisions.

翻译：人类行为，包括科研活动，受到地理层级划分的影响。因此，研究人员的流动模式在不同区域间存在差异，进而影响科学界的多个方面，包括职业轨迹、知识转移、国际合作、人才循环、创新扩散、资源分配和政策制定。然而，目前对区域层级尺度与科研人员流动之间关系的理解仍有限。本研究旨在揭示地理尺度对科学家在城市、国家和洲际间流动模式的微妙作用。为此，我们分析了1960年至2021年间涵盖机构、城市、国家和洲际的203万名科学家的数据。我们基于不同行政层级的区域构建了一个模型，评估了科学家从一个区域流向另一区域的倾向性以及各区域的吸引力。研究结果揭示了区域尺度的嵌套层级结构及科学家迁移格局的动态特征。这项研究阐明了科学家流动的复杂动态，并为地理尺度与行政划分如何影响职业决策提供了洞见。