Xiaoliang Sunney Xie

Xiaoliang Sunney Xie (born 24 June 1962) is a Chinese biophysicist well known for his contributions to the fields of single-molecule biophysical chemistry, coherent Raman Imaging and single-molecule genomics. In 2023, Xie renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to reclaim his Chinese citizenship.

Early life
Xie was born in Beijing in 1962 with ancestral roots in Hepu County, Guangxi. He received his B.Sc. in chemistry from Peking University in 1984, and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1990 from University of California at San Diego. After a brief postdoctoral appointment at University of Chicago, he joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he rose from senior research scientist to chief scientist. In 1998, he became the first tenured professor recruited by Harvard University among Chinese scholars who came to the United States since Chinese economic reform.

Research
He had been the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University until 2018, when he became the Lee Shau-kee Professor of Peking University. He was the Director of Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC) in 2010-2021, and the Director of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG) in 2016-2021, both at Peking University.

As a pioneer of single-molecule biophysical chemistry, Coherent Raman scattering microscopy, and single-cell genomics, he made major contributions to the emergence of these fields. Furthermore, he has made significant advances on medical applications of label-free optical imaging and single-cell genomics. In particular, his inventions in single-cell genomics have been used in in vitro fertilization benefited thousands of families by avoiding the transmission of monogenic diseases to their newborns.

More than fifty of his students and post-doctorates have become professors at major universities around the world, and two are co-founders of start-up companies. Professor Xie’s current research interests include the following scientific, technological, and medical areas:
 * Scientific: Single-molecule enzymology, Single-molecule biophysical chemistry, Gene expression and regulation, Epigenetics, Mechanism of cell differentiation and reprogramming, Chromosome structure and dynamics, and Genomic instability;
 * Technological: Single-molecule imaging, Single-cell genomics, Coherent Raman scattering microscopy, DNA sequencing;
 * Medical: Preimplantation genetic testing in in vitro fertilization, COVID19 vaccine and neutralizing antibody drugs for SARS-CoV-2 variants and Early cancer diagnosis.

Honors and awards

 * 2017: Qiu Shi Outstanding Scientist Award, Qiu Shi Science & Technologies Foundation
 * 2017: Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (As of 2023, member of the CAS after Chinese citizenship reclaimed)
 * 2016: Member of the National Academy of Medicine
 * 2015: Albany Medical Center Prize
 * 2015: Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society
 * 2014: Fellow of the Optical Society of America
 * 2013: NIH Director's Pioneer Award
 * 2013: Ellis R. Lippincott Award, Optical Society of America and Society for Applied Spectroscopy
 * 2012: Edward Mack, Jr. Lecture, OSU
 * 2012: Harrison Howe Award, Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society
 * 2012: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
 * 2012: Biophysical Society Founders Award
 * 2011: Member of the National Academy of Sciences
 * 2009: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award
 * 2008: Fellow of the American Physical Society
 * 2008: Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis for Applied Laser Technology
 * 2008: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
 * 2007: Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Sciences and Quantum Optics
 * 2006: Fellow of Biophysical Society
 * 2006: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
 * 2004: NIH Director's Pioneer Award
 * 2003: Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences
 * 1996: Coblentz Award