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author | southern window reporter pang haichen

editor | ashu

it was not until nearly two months later that wu ying's suicide finally attracted people's attention.

people outside the field don’t know much about ms. wu ying, but her outstanding contributions in the fields of neurology and genetics are world-leading. many colleagues who have come into contact with her are full of praise for her achievements.

as early as 2007, wu ying received a tenured position at the feinberg school of medicine at northwestern university in the united states. she independently led her own laboratory here, doing research that she loved, and carefully nurturing younger generations who wanted to embark on the path of scientific research. at the age of 60, a scientist might have achieved great academic success, but she chose to commit suicide, which puzzled many people.

an english media in hong kong, china was the first to capture this anomaly. on august 31, the media tried to restore wu ying's experience before her death under the title "chinese-born neuroscientist wu ying lost her laboratory in the united states, and then she lost her life."

only then did people know that the chinese-american scientist had committed suicide at his home in chicago on july 10 at the age of 60. when the news came out, the academic community was in an uproar.

it was reported that an insider revealed that wu ying was investigated by the national institutes of health (nih) before her death and was expelled from the laboratory at northwestern university.

northwestern university

nih is the largest funder of academic biomedical research in the united states, and some medical centers can receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the agency each year. in 2018, nih sent emails to more than 100 universities and medical institutions with which it has a partnership, including northwestern university, asking them to regularly conduct investigations and audits of internal employees to ensure that funds are "used properly."

but in actual progress, most of the groups that have received "special attention" are people related to china, especially scientists coming to the united states from china.

southern window reporter found that many clues showed that wu ying was also one of the targets of the nih investigation, and there were traces of the huge pressure she was under during her lifetime. simply put, from a certain moment, politics "cared" about her, and then everything fell like dominoes.

strong people

wu ying remained silent and told no one about the pressure she was under.

tom maniatis, wu ying's postdoctoral supervisor at harvard university, told southern window reporters that he has always respected wu ying's research in his laboratory and as an independent scientist, and the two have always maintained close contact, but wu ying has never told him anything about the nih investigation.

"she also helped plan my 80th birthday celebration at columbia university last year... i heard nothing from her after that until her son and daughter wrote to tell me she had passed away. i later learned that she had committed suicide."

a colleague of wu ying also told the southern window reporter that although the two were friends, he did not have "first-hand information" about why wu ying decided to commit suicide. he was one of the scholars who spoke at the memorial service for wu ying held in guizhou on july 27 this year.

so far, wu ying's children have chosen to keep a low profile and have not discussed the matter publicly with the media. according to the funeral arrangement notice they drafted, wu ying was buried in chicago's rose hill cemetery on july 17.

it is difficult for outsiders to know what wu ying went through in the days before her death. but according to a scientist friend of wu ying, she did so because she was "temporarily depressed."

"wu ying was a very strong-willed person," the scientist, who did not want to be named, told the southern window reporter. "she was a very dedicated scientist who wanted to make a career. she was definitely not mediocre. in your current terms, she was a typical strong woman...but she was just too strong-willed."

wu ying

the scientist was reluctant to be interviewed, but wu ying's suicide made him decide to "have a few words" with the reporter. this was not only because wu ying was his good friend, but also because they were in similar situations. he had obtained a tenured position at a university in the united states very early, until the nih investigation forced him to resign, and he eventually chose to leave the united states.

he had tried to lend a helping hand to wu ying many times. he told reporters that every time he went to wu ying's place for a visiting scholar program, he wanted to talk to her, but was always rejected. "she didn't share her difficulties with everyone, and she didn't have many friends around her... in addition, she was diagnosed with colon cancer ten years ago, and it should not have recurred later, but now in this situation, she may have been unable to think straight and ended up in a desperate situation."

considering wu ying's outstanding resume, this stubbornness is not surprising.

in 1986, wu ying graduated from shanghai medical university and then went to stanford university school of medicine to pursue a doctorate, and received a ph.d. in cancer biology in 1991.

after that, she started her postdoctoral study in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at harvard university. her postdoctoral supervisor, maniatis, was one of the main authors of the book "molecular cloning laboratory guide", which was known as the "blue bible" in the american biological community at that time.

after leaving harvard, wu ying served as an assistant professor, associate professor and professor at washington university in st. louis and vanderbilt university. in 2005, she joined the feinberg school of medicine at northwestern university and was awarded a tenured professorship in 2007, leading the neurology and genetics laboratories.

although some people in the circle still think of wu ying's ex-wife as the famous scholar rao yi when they hear her name, wu ying's own achievements have long exceeded the scope of the two's previous joint business in the united states.

rao yi mourned his ex-wife wu ying on his personal public account

in the year that wu ying became a professor of neurology at northwestern university, she was elected as a member of the american society for clinical research. this honor is only given to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to medical research, and wu ying is one of the few chinese female members. her research on rna splicing and rna binding proteins has achieved many breakthrough results and opened up new ideas for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (such as alzheimer's disease and parkinson's disease).

in addition, wu ying also co-founded the "post-transcriptional gene regulation" conference with two other biological scientists in oxford, uk, which has been held for 20 years.

in addition to doing a good job in her own research, wu ying is also a good teacher. in the eyes of ren bing, a professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the university of california, san diego, wu ying is a "real role model."

ren bing received wu ying's guidance at harvard university in 1993. in his opinion, it was wu ying's guidance that opened the "door to a new world" for him and prompted him to decide to make scientific research his lifelong career.

as a scientist dedicated to scientific research, wu ying's life should have been simpler, and her neurological research had nothing to do with politics, but the environment changed and everything began to be affected by politics.

what happened

although it is still unknown what prompted wu ying to make the decision to commit suicide on july 10, based on the many clues available, we can still barely piece together the life circumstances of this chinese scholar and the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in the past few years.

first, nih deprived wu ying of the material basis for advancing her research.

the nih official website shows that wu ying’s last nih-funded project was “the role of mitochondria in tdp-43 proteinopathy”, with a total funding amount of 3.03 million us dollars, starting in 2018 and ending in 2022.

the nih official website shows wu ying's last nih-funded project

however, people familiar with the matter told nanfeng window reporters that in fact, halfway through the progress, this funded project had been transferred to the head of wu ying's laboratory next door, and was executed by the other party on behalf of the project.

on september 18, the nih office of extramural research responded to nanfang window’s request for comment, saying: “nih will not discuss funding compliance reviews of specific funding projects, recipient institutions, or related researchers.” however, friends in the circle know that wu ying was indeed investigated, but it is difficult for outsiders to imagine what kind of pressure she had endured during her lifetime.

when the funds ran out, nih did not allow wu ying to apply for new research funds. not only that, northwestern university also closed wu ying's laboratory. an insider revealed that when wu ying was still unwilling to leave the laboratory within the stipulated time, the police forcibly took her away from the laboratory. for a scientist with a great reputation in the academic community, such a treatment was tantamount to a public humiliation.

when wu ying was still unwilling to leave the laboratory within the stipulated time, the police forcibly took her away from the laboratory/qiqi drawing

wang xiaofan, a distinguished professor of cancer research at duke university in the united states, believes that these investigations have directly killed wu ying's career. in the eyes of wu ying's good friend, "depriving her of the right to conduct research is like taking away the most important thing in her life."

after wu ying's death, northwestern university not only did not publish any obituary, but also deleted all of wu ying's personal profile pages in less than a week. however, according to academic practice, when a senior scholar like professor wu ying passes away, his research results, publication records and funding information are usually kept on the university website for at least a few years.

therefore, the pressure faced by wu ying comes not only from nih, but also from northwestern university where she works. however, after the incident, the university repeatedly refused to respond to media inquiries.

the aforementioned scientist who did not want to be named told southern window that in the years when sino-us relations took a sharp turn for the worse, the pressure of censorship from the us government was all-encompassing. he was not surprised that northwestern university and nih had cooperated, because in recent years, cooperation between us universities and the fbi (affiliated with the us department of justice) has long been the norm.

he said: "it's just that some schools go too far, and some pay more attention to superficial work, which is not visible on the surface." at the same time, he also said that with many american universities currently facing financial crises, northwestern university may have wanted to use this incident at the beginning to "force her to retire and close her laboratory."

china action plan

it is still unclear what made wu ying a target of the nih.

china and the united states have had a long history of scientific research cooperation. as time went on, especially in the mid-2010s, the u.s. congress and intelligence agencies began to grow wary.

after trump came to power in 2016, he pushed this suspicion of china to the forefront. the china initiative, which was implemented in 2018, marked this significant change. many scientists with dual academic identities in china and the united states, especially those with ties to chinese research institutions, have received special attention from the us government.

in 2018, professor wu ying gave an academic report at the school of basic medical sciences, fudan university

the trump administration launched an investigation in the name of national security, and a number of researchers were criminally prosecuted. some media analyzed the indictments and found that no scientists among those accused were found to have engaged in espionage, and nearly half of the cases were dropped.

these groundless accusations have also been criticized by the american academic community. some scholars said that these cases exposed the united states' "law enforcement errors and excessive enthusiasm of prosecutors." margaret lewis, a law professor at seton hall university, said that this is confusing personal motives with national policy goals, leading to the criminalization of "chinese identity."

at the same time, according to an investigation and research published by mit technology review, the us department of justice has never clearly defined or standardized the cases of the "china action plan", nor has it disclosed how many cases are included.

peter zeidenberg, an attorney who previously defended several chinese scientists investigated by the u.s. department of justice, revealed that wu ying was one of his clients, but he said he could not disclose the relevant details to nanfang window.

in addition to the risk of criminal prosecution, the special attention from the nih should not be underestimated - a closed-door investigation.

nih deputy director michael lauer explained the closed-door investigation as "to protect the privacy of scientists," but judging from the actual data, it seems more like an attempt to cover up clear political intentions.

according to a survey published in march 2023 by science, a world-renowned academic journal, about 81% of the scientists mentioned in letters sent by nih to partner universities and medical institutions were of asian descent, and 91% of the reviewed collaborations were conducted with chinese colleagues.

in 2023, nature magazine published an article describing how five chinese scientists were forced to accept an nih investigation.

such "targeting" is undoubtedly a fatal blow. since 2018, 103 (42%) of the 246 targeted scientists have lost their jobs, most of whom are tenured faculty members; one-fifth have been banned from applying for new nih funding for up to four years, which means the end of their careers for most academic researchers.

this is why northwestern university’s indifferent treatment of wu ying is not surprising. in fact, many chinese/chinese professors facing similar accusations have been abandoned by their universities and forced to resign or retire early.

senior administrators at u.s. universities say that when michael lauer says a targeted scientist is “unwelcome in the nih ecosystem,” the school knows what he means — lauer is expecting action.

according to ann chih lin, associate professor of public policy at the university of massachusetts and director of the liebertal rogel center for chinese studies, american universities do this because the nih has made it clear that if the school cannot resolve concerns about a professor and his research funding, it will not only require the university to repay the relevant funds, but may also investigate all nih-funded projects at the school. this not only involves the risk of losing funding, but also brings about public disciplinary hearings or appeal procedures. therefore, many universities will take the initiative to contact the professors involved and issue an ultimatum.

walking on thin ice

it was not until a month after wu ying's death that nih director monica bertagnoli officially issued a statement saying that the us government's previous actions had "unintended consequences" on asian americans and asian researchers, "who may feel targeted and alienated."

national institutes of health

but are such consequences really "unexpected"? does this "being targeted and alienated" only exist as a possibility?

it can be said that since the trump administration launched the "china action plan", the sword of damocles has been hanging over the heads of every asian, especially chinese scientists.

"i no longer feel safe," said kai li, a professor at princeton university and founding vice president of the asian american scholars forum. "i no longer apply for federal grants." there are many chinese scholars who feel the same way as kai li. out of concern for u.s. government surveillance and potential investigations, many chinese scientists choose to avoid applying for federal funding and reduce academic cooperation with china.

in october 2021, the committee of 100, an elite chinese american friendship organization, and the university of arizona jointly released an investigation report stating that the u.s. government’s restrictions on exchanges involving china have seriously affected the normal lives of many chinese scholars.

the u.s. government’s restrictions on exchanges involving china have seriously affected the normal lives of many chinese scholars/qiqi map

the report shows that 42.2% of chinese scientists feel racially profiled; 38.4% believe that their racial background makes it difficult for them to obtain research funding; 50.7% of chinese scientists expressed concern about surveillance by the us government and believed that this has affected their academic work; non-chinese scientists have also reduced cooperation with china because of the "china action plan" for fear of triggering government scrutiny.

in response to this phenomenon, huang zhengyu, chairman of the committee of 100, has a vivid analogy: in the african american community, there is a term called "driving while black", which refers to the fact that african americans are more likely to be stopped by american police because of their skin color. now, in the chinese american community, there is a similar term - "searching while chinese american", which refers to the fact that chinese scientists are more likely to be suspected of espionage simply because of their race or ethnic origin.

it can be said that in visible and invisible places, chinese scientists are facing an "american dream" whose fig leaf has been completely torn off.

in september 2021, biden-appointed attorney general garland announced that he would conduct an internal review of the "china action plan." on february 23, 2022, this notorious plan was announced to be terminated.

but that is not the case. according to the aforementioned scientist, biden's actions are sometimes even more serious than those during trump's administration, but they are not made public. "in fact, they are still doing it, and they have not stopped at all." at the same time, the closed-door investigation from nih has not ended.

the us media "foreign policy" once published an article saying that people are questioning "to what extent the formal abandonment of the name of the 'china action plan' will be accompanied by substantial changes in government policies."

for example, in april 2023, former harvard university department chair charles lieber was fined more than $80,000 and sentenced to house arrest for concealing his academic ties with china.

charles lieber, former harvard department chair

data shows that after the launch of the china initiative, the loss rate of chinese american scientists has accelerated. even after the program was terminated, many chinese scholars are considering leaving the united states and working in china and other countries out of concern for the chilling effect. many us media have warned that the united states is reaping the fruits of its own labor, which will ultimately hinder washington's scientific and technological development.

but in the face of more important national issues, no matter how high the brain drain rate is or how heartbreaking the tragedy is, it cannot prevent more issues from being politicized. to this day, wu ying's death is still shrouded in many mysteries, and politics still cares about everyone it wants to care about in places that are not seen.

some of the pictures in this article are from the internet