“We are all Gang Chen”

On January 14, 2021, MIT’s Professor Gang Chen was arrested under the U.S. Department of Justice’s China Initiative. On the day of Gang Chen’s arrest, Professor Yoel Fink of MIT analyzed the government’s criminal complaints against Gang Chen, made slides, and called for an MIT faculty meeting. A group of MIT faculty gathered together the next day and wrote an open letter in which they dismantled the government’s complaints with academic rigor. The letter concluded with a resounding statement: “We are All Gang Chen.” This letter was signed by over 200 MIT faculty members. One year later, on January 21, 2022, the DOJ dropped all its charges against Gang Chen. Another month later, the DOJ terminated its “China Initiative.”

In this talk, Professor Gang Chen will share some details of his ordeal and federal agents’ wrong-doings, how MIT and the scientific community mobilized, how he continued his research under isolation, and how MIT welcomed him back to campus. He will also discuss increasing fear among scientists, especially those of Asian origin, due to government’s wrongful prosecutions and policies, which have led to the loss of talent. The talk will conclude with his reflection on the question, “who are Americans?”

Sponsored by the Science, Technology, & Society Program.