“Reverse brain drain” sees 85 US scientists leave for China

At least 85 scientists have left US research institutions to join Chinese universities full-time since early 2024, with more than half making the move in 2025 alone. This “reverse brain drain” threatens America’s historic dominance in attracting top global talent—a cornerstone of its post-WWII leadership in science and technology—while potentially accelerating China’s rise in critical fields like AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology.

The big picture: China is capitalizing on US policy changes that create uncertainty for foreign researchers, particularly those with Chinese heritage, while simultaneously ramping up its own recruitment efforts and research investments.

• Chinese universities view Trump administration policies as “a gift” that helps them recruit higher-caliber international talent, according to Yu Xie, a Princeton University sociology professor.
• The US Congress may reject the most drastic proposed research budget cuts, but heightened visa scrutiny and funding uncertainties have already created lasting anxieties in academic labs.
• China spent more than $780 billion on research and development in 2023, nearly matching the US’s $823 billion, according to OECD data.

Key recruitment strategies: Chinese institutions are aggressively expanding programs to attract overseas talent through financial incentives and streamlined pathways.

• Wuhan University’s recent social media post promised robotics, AI, and cybersecurity researchers up to 3 million yuan ($400,000) in matching national grant funding.
• The Qiming program, which places top-level researchers into China’s commercial tech sector, held an unprecedented extra intake round exclusively for US and European talent over the summer.
• China introduced a new “K visa” category for young science and technology professionals, effective October 1.

What’s driving the exodus: Scientists cite a combination of US policy pressures and China’s improving research environment as factors in their decisions.

• The controversial China Initiative, launched in 2018 and canceled in 2022, increased departures of US-based Chinese scientists by 75%, with two-thirds relocating to China.
• Lawmakers called to reinstate the program in July, prompting over 1,000 faculty to warn it “served the recruitment goals of the People’s Republic of China better than any ‘talent program’ they ever implemented.”
• Lu Wuyuan, who left the University of Maryland for Shanghai’s Fudan University, described a “clear surge in the number of job applicants from overseas” at Chinese institutions.

China’s scientific rise: The country has transformed from a “poor, resources-stricken” nation to an emerging scientific powerhouse with ambitious goals.

• Chinese scientists now publish more research in high-quality natural and health sciences journals than their US counterparts, according to the Nature Index.
• China’s space program brought back the world’s first samples from the moon’s far side, while DeepSeek, a little-known Chinese startup, shocked Silicon Valley with a chatbot matching OpenAI’s performance at a fraction of the cost.
• President Xi Jinping has vowed China will become a “strong” and self-reliant science and technology nation by 2035.

The challenges ahead: Despite China’s progress, significant obstacles remain for both the country’s scientific ambitions and foreign researchers considering relocation.

• Over 83% of Chinese graduates who earned US science and engineering doctoral degrees between 2017-2019 were still living in America in 2023.
• Language barriers, cultural differences, and China’s restrictive political environment create hurdles for non-Chinese researchers.
• Some Chinese social media users have shown backlash against scientists perceived as pro-American or who built careers abroad before returning.

What they’re saying: Researchers emphasize that science benefits from international collaboration, not zero-sum competition.

• “In medicine, when you find a cure, it’s a cure for everyone across the world,” said Yu Hongtao, dean of Westlake University’s School of Life Sciences.
• Zhang Yitang, a mathematician who joined Sun Yat-sen University this year, told Phoenix TV: “Many of our Chinese scholars and professors in the US have already returned, and many more are considering it.”
• Lu Wuyuan warned that “short-sighted policies by the current administration have effectively choked off mutually beneficial US-Sino collaboration in science.”

Why this matters: The talent migration could reshape global scientific leadership at a critical moment when AI, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies will define future economic and military power.