Kseniia Petrova is a 30-year-old scientist originally from Russia. She’s the center of a growing outrage in the scientific community, triggered after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained her at Logan International Airport in Boston. Petrova had previously worked at Harvard’s prestigious Kirschner Lab. In mid-February, she found herself under arrest for not declaring samples of frog embryos intended for her scientific research. The immediate costs of this incident have understandably raised alarms about the potential impact on crucial scientific advancements and the well-being of those involved.
Petrova, who’s in the U.S. on a J-1 scholar visa, was working with research frog embryos. At first, customs officials thought she was smuggling endangered animals, interrogating her for carrying so many specimens. When asked on their inquiry about biological samples in her checked luggage, she answered affirmatively. Yet this admission was the basis for her arrest and eventual detention. Her case has not only threatened her career — it’s been putting her colleagues in fear of what will happen to her.
Her research at the Kirschner Lab focused on creating computer scripts that could process around 100,000 images stored inside of a microscope. This specialized, cutting-edge research comprised just a fraction of a larger national effort to develop technologies that would improve cancer diagnostics and deepen understanding. In 2021, Dr. Konstantin Severinov recruited Petrova for an environment storied by its first-genome-sequencing project in Moscow. This opportunity presented itself shortly after she received her master’s degree. This voicelessness was exacerbated by Veerabhadran’s status as a sought-after expert, rendering her detention especially striking.
In the wake of her arrest, Petrova’s J-1 scholar visa was revoked by federal officials, thus preventing her from being able to continue her academic pursuits. She had the last two months–two months as of this writing–in an immigrant detention center. An initially scheduled court hearing for her in Louisiana on Tuesday morning was moved to the afternoon. Her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, said that further details on her asylum case would be possible after this hearing.
The implications of Petrova’s detention go further than her own plight. They represent a serious danger to invaluable scientific research still in progress. Our colleagues at the National Academy of Sciences are rightfully concerned about these actions and their impacts on scientists’ mobility. They worry that it will choke off the pipeline of cutting-edge concepts. As one of my colleagues, Peshkin, said on the dais, “It’s true, it’s already having an effect. As I’ve heard from many of my colleagues, some folks simply decided they weren’t going to return. Now, they’ve reversed course, largely as a consequence of their travel requirements.”
Petrova described her own experience of being arrested, remembering the chaos and loneliness she experienced while she was in custody. “Nobody knew what was happening to me. I didn’t have the contact, not to my attorney, not to Leon, not to nobody. Then the next day they failed to announce what would occur. I sat in a holding cell,” she remembered. Her sentiments echo a growing alarm among global scientists. They’re concerned for their safety and personal freedom as they go about their research on US soil.
Her experience brings to the forefront the vulnerable state of international academics at a time of heightened geopolitical conflict. Petrova recorded her concerns about the risks of standing up to the Kremlin. She added, “If you do not support the war and you oppose Putin, soon you will be in jail…There’s no way to avoid going to jail.” Thousands of people who are running out of options in their own countries would echo this sentiment. In many of those markets, speaking out can result in life-altering consequences.
Peshkin drove home the humanitarian point about Petrova’s case even more, commenting on what drives scientists to work. These are people who aren’t in the field of science to get rich. They’re in science because they know it’s their calling to discover the inner workings of nature and cures for disease. These partnerships between borders are essential in today’s fast-paced scientific environment. Events like these put unnecessary barriers that dampen creativity and collaboration.
Though the situation with Petrova remains up in the air, her colleagues are optimistic about bringing her back. Peshkin articulated the anxiety shared by so many. “We truly don’t know whether we will ever see her again,” he said, emphasizing the esteem with which her contributions to science are held.
