Academic international mobility and intra-European highly skilled migration are consolidated trends. Strongly stimulated by EU policies, the opportunities are highly dynamic, and circulation through different jobs and countries is a striking feature of the academic community. However, for a fragile economy and scientific system such as Portuguals these trends are synonymous with brain drain, particularly in times of Eurozone crisis. To study the role of the economic crisis in scientists decision-making process, in terms of their own migration, five individual portraits are analysed, taking into account that academic mobility is often associated with individual career perspectives and encouraged by European policies.