Chinese scientists are increasingly departing from prestigious American universities and opting for positions in their home country. This revelation came under a recent study titled ‘Caught in the Crossfire: Fears of Chinese-American Scientists.‘ The China Initiative, initiated by the Department of Justice in 2018 due to concerns about Chinese espionage, is attributed to this trend. Although the China Initiative concluded in 2022, reports indicate a notable surge in the migration of Chinese scientists back to China in recent years.
Between 2010 and 2021, the number of scientists making this transition rose significantly from 900 to 2,621, reflecting a substantial 75 percent increase. The initiative compiled a list highlighting individuals who shifted from American universities to renowned institutions in China. Noteworthy instances include:
- Twin scientists from Tsinghua University completed a postdoctoral programme in North America before returning to China.
- Gao Huajian, who joined Tsinghua University after a teaching position at Stanford.
- Sun Song, a Chinese geometer, chose to leave California and pursue work at the Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics in China.
- Sun Xin returned to Peking University.
- Xiang-Dong Fu left California to join Westlake University in southern China.
- Li Zhijin, a data scientist formerly with NASA, has taken up a position at a top university in Shanghai.
- Kunliang Guan, a biochemist, returned to China after nearly three decades of working in the United States.
These instances illustrate a broader trend of Chinese scientists returning to China, contributing to a significant brain drain from American academic institutions.
