Dr. Xiaoxing Xi on false science espionage accusations, advocacy, and Oppenheimer

Dr. Xiaoxing Xi is a Chinese American physicist and the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics at Temple University. Born in China, Dr. Xi moved to the United States in 1989 and has since become a naturalized U.S. citizen. In May of 2015, Dr. Xi was arrested at gunpoint by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for alleged espionage. He was placed on administrative leave and barred from accessing his lab. Four months later, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped all charges against him. Since then, Dr. Xi has launched a campaign against racial profiling in science, testifying before Congress and speaking at universities and conferences. The American Physical Society recognized Dr. Xi’s tireless advocacy by awarding him the Andrei Sakharov Prize in 2020. We spoke with Dr. Xi about the ramifications of being wrongfully accused of espionage, historic parallels in Christopher Nolan’s movie Oppenheimer, the government’s increasing hostility towards Chinese academics, and what patriotism means to him.