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In 2003 Jay Siegel was ready to take on a new challenge. Siegel was a full professor of chemistry at the University of California at San Diego, but took a job at the University of Zurich.
"When I moved out, people said," Oh, you're crazy leaving San Diego; it's a paradise. Why would you go to Europe? Blah, blah blah, "remembers Siegel." And after 10 years, people were saying: "Oh, man, that was the smartest thing you ever did. Zurich is beautiful. & # 39; "
Then he told his friends that he was moving to China. "And again, people have said" What? Are you crazy? "Siegel said. But he thinks they'll soon realize that he's made the right choice again.
In the last decade or so, China has strengthened its commitment to scientific research, and it shows. Chinese researchers now produce more scientific publications than US scientists, and global assessments of Chinese universities are on the rise.
Five years ago, Siegel became Dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology of Tianjin University. He added that the university president had recruited him to create an undergraduate program likely to attract students from all walks of life, not just from China. Siegel says the program is taught entirely in English.
"They get a bachelor's degree that is recognized around the world," says Siegel. "Our graduates are pursuing their master's and doctoral studies at Harvard, Princeton – in every university in the world."
Getting a degree in pharmaceutical sciences in Tianjin is another aspect that Siegel expects from students around the world. to find particularly attractive: the Chinese government plans to offer scholarships to cover the cost of students who register.
"They would go out without debt," he says.
Siegel said all of this was part of China's efforts to attract international scientists.
"We hired in Brazil, Mexico, the United States," he says. "We have people from Germany, from the UK, from Korea – from everywhere."
The chemist Mark Olson is one of those employees. Although he has held a teaching position at Texas A & M, Olson is said to be ready to take on a new challenge.
"I was born and raised in South Texas, in Corpus Christi," he says. "I come from a Hispanic family." Olson said that being in China was good for science, but he is happy to have made that decision.
"It's good for kids," he says. He has three now – and a fourth on the way.
"To show them that the world is round [has been good], "Olson says." To show them that, "Hey, from the other side of the planet, here's how life is." And it was very rewarding. "
Another chemistry colleague, Jon Antilla, was at the University of South Florida when he first attended Tianjin University as a visiting professor.
"Now I have become full-time here," says Antilla, "giving up my position in the United States just to come here."
He made the move for several reasons. One, he has a Chinese woman who was excited about the idea.
And, says Antilla, he was attracted by the climate of research.
"You really have a lot of freedom here, in fact, to pursue your science," says Antilla. "Grant funding is easier to obtain and it allows you to think more."
There is no doubt that the money available for research in China is increasing. The country has made it clear that it is considering becoming a world leader in high-tech manufacturing. China has created the Thousand Talent Plan to attract the best researchers from around the world. Antilla and Olson both receive support under this plan.
China's ambitions have caused deep concern within the Trump administration. The concern is that China could erode the technological advantage of the United States, not only by supporting research, but also by stealing scientific ideas and spying on companies.
But, for now, these concerns do not prevent scientists wanting to move to China from doing so.
"Many people living here are attracted to China for some reason, but I was not," says Greg Herczeg, astronomer at the Kavli Institute of Astronomy and Astronomy. "But I thought it would be an interesting thing to do," he says, "to settle in China for a few years and experience one of the world's leading astrophysicists." different culture, and I've been here for seven years now. "
Herczeg has held a faculty position at the institute after postdoctoral fellowships at the California Institute of Technology and in Germany.
Herczeg notes that China has the largest radio telescope in the world and plans to build several new telescopes.
"I think it's a great place to make a career," he says. "That gave me an interesting platform – let me work with interesting students."
Working in China has some disadvantages. There are restrictions on the Internet, which makes it difficult to access certain websites. And although English is spoken on college campuses, it is not in most parts of the country, which is a problem for many foreign visitors.
Moreover, freedom of expression in China is not the same concept as in the United States.
But Herczeg says that there is one thing he has not experienced.
"There is no political interference in science," he says.
This is a feeling echoed by Siegel of Tianjin University.
"We had no political restrictions," Siegel said. "I know people are talking about their presence and I've heard rumors, but for us personally, I should say no, I did not experience that."
Siegel thinks he knows why his American colleagues and himself have been left to do their own research.
"The Chinese have this interesting phrase that says," The foreign monk speaks more easily to God, "said Siegel. "So, when you are a stranger here, you can get away with things that others do not get out of it, even if, on the contrary, they also have the following phrase:" The foreign dragon does not can never defeat the local snake. And I think these are two good tips, wherever you go in the world. Indeed, when you are invited, some things that you will not be allowed are prohibited to all others. "
On the other hand, the influence of the guests can be modest when their opinions do not match the intentions of the country.
The flow of researchers who leave laboratories in the United States for academic positions in China is even more superficial than floods. But China is working hard to become an attractive destination for the best international scientists.
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