Study: Racial profiling hurts Chinese scientists, US innovation

A new study has found that scientists of Chinese descent report far greater racial profiling by the US government, increased difficulty in obtaining research funds and more fear and anxiety than those of non-Chinese descent.

The study -- Racial Profiling Among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the US Scientific Community” -- is a joint project between Committee of 100 and the University of Arizona to understand what the China Initiative means for scientists of Chinese descent.

The national survey, conducted between May and July 2021 among about 2,000 scientists, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the US, confirms a chilling effect is indeed taking place throughout the scientific community, particularly among those of Chinese descent, said the lead author, Jenny Lee, a professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona.

“Scientific discovery, which is fundamentally borderless, is being politically bordered,” said Lee at a virtual report launching a conference on Thursday. “What is clear from this research is that US scientists and researchers of Chinese descent and non-Chinese descent experience the world and their work very differently because of racism, stereotypes, xenophobia, and government policies,” she said.

The research found that 42.2 percent of scientists of Chinese descent feel racially profiled by the US government, while only 8.6 percent of scientists of non-Chinese descent feel so.

Half of the scientists of Chinese descent said they feel considerable fear and/or anxiety that they are beingsurveilled by the US government, compared to only 11.7 cent of scientists of non-Chinese descent.

“Openness in research is really paramount. I think the China initiative has been damaging to that environment. I see this among many of my closest colleagues at Stanford who are confused and scared. It really has to stop,” said Peter Michelson, a physics professor at Stanford University, at the conference.

The research focus on the racial inequities in the academy and the implications for scientific production in the US.

Scientists of Chinese descent indicate in the survey that they have purposely not pursued federal funding for projects for fear of increased scrutiny. There is also a reluctance, particularly among scientists of Chinese descent, to work with scholars based in China to avoid being investigated.

Among those who had reported conducting research that involves China over the past three years, 40.6 percent of the scientists of Chinese descent reported limiting communication with collaborators in China, compared with 12.8 percent of non-Chinese scientists, according to the report.

Among those whose research with China was prematurely suspended over the past three years, 78.5 percent of scientists of Chinese descent wanted to distance themselves from collaborators in China due to the China Initiative, compared to 27.3 percent of scientists of non-Chinese descent.

“Even though I do not work in a sensitive field, nor do I deal with any privileged or proprietary information, I am increasingly hesitant to interact or collaborate with scientists from China for fear it may be misconstrued by overzealous authorities as a conflict of national interest,” a Chinese American associate professor of biophysics was cited as saying in the report.

“Overall, scientists of Chinese descent and non-Chinese descent both recognize the value of scientists of Chinese descent and support collaboration with China,” said Lee, “Disengaging with China is not good for scientific discovery, as over 90 percent of Chinese and non-Chinese alike indicated that the impact would be negative for academia, their respective fields and their respective research projects.”

She also noted that talent loss is another potential consequence of racial profiling. The report shows that 42 percent of the scientists of Chinese descent indicate that FBI investigations and/or the China Initiative affected their plans to stay in the US, while only 7 percent of the scientists of non-Chinese descent report so.

“Scientists of Chinese descent have also started to consider working in less hostile climates outside the US, which could affect talent retention. The enrollment of new international graduate students from China has already been declining,” said Lee.

“Scientific research that has long been driven by intellectual curiosity is being reshaped by such fear with major consequences for US innovation. Scientists are abandoning collaboration with China, pursuing non-federal funding, downsizing their projects, pursuing fewer sensitive projects and working in reduced domestic teams,” she said.