Dr. Jenny Lee, professor of educational studies and practice at the University of Arizona
The study underscored a climate of fear as the U.S. government investigates more scientists of Chinese descent suspected of espionage, though such cases have repeatedly been dismissed. In addition, the study showed such profiling has slowed global collaborations, jeopardizing the country’s competitiveness.
“This is a story of scientists who feel like their work is being compromised, who fear largely that they will be charged and jailed and investigated,” said Dr. Jenny Lee, professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona. Lee is one of the study’s authors.
She and her research team partnered on the study with Committee of 100, a nonprofit organization of leading Chinese Americans. This summer, the researchers sent a blind survey to scientists both of Chinese and non-Chinese descent, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Across the country, 1,949 scientists responded.
“We kept hearing anecdotally about Chinese American scientists and Chinese scientists being fired without cause or leaving the U.S. because it felt hostile or stopping their interactions with China out of fear,” said Zhengyu Huang, president of the Committee of 100. “But we wanted a way to survey scientists and see the trends, so we decided to do this research.”
Titled “Racial Profiling Among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the U.S. Scientific Community,” the study found that scientists of Chinese and Asian descent reported far more racial profiling from the U.S. government, greater difficulty in securing research funds, and heightened fear of surveillance by the U.S. government compared to non-Asian scientists.
“The numbers completely bore out the anecdotes,” Huang said. “If we talk about a new Red Scare, this is it.”
