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When Dr. Fiona Xi Xu explores her path to becoming an application scientist, she doesn't point to a single defining moment but rather a constellation of influences that guided her toward science. Growing up in Beijing as an only child, her earliest memories are colored by her mother's workplace – Peking Medical University.
 
"I didn't grow up with extended family. My parents both moved to Beijing and stayed there," Xu explains. "A lot of times when I'm not in school, they took me to work, and my mom actually took me to her workplace a lot."

Her mother, who graduated from medical school and chose a research-related career over clinical practice, became her strongest influence. "She is definitely the biggest influence," Xu says with evident admiration. Though her mother worked as a department manager at Health Economical Institute of China, young Fiona would spend hours in her office, playing with her computer and flipping through medical books she couldn't yet understand.

This early exposure to academic science created a comfortable familiarity that would later influence her career choices.

"Chemistry is just something that feels very familiar," she explains. "It's closer enough to what my parents do, so I know what some of the job options are... versus like finance – I have no family working in that field, so to me it's like, what would that even do? I could not imagine."

Finding Her Path

Xu's academic journey took her from Beijing to the United States, where she attended Wheaton College near Boston for her undergraduate studies. There, her passion for learning led her to double major in chemistry and mathematics – the second major added almost accidentally after taking required math courses for chemistry.

"I was taking some math classes required for chemistry, and I realized, 'Oh, I actually really like these classes and my professors.' I just kept taking more classes, and then at some point, I realized I could make a double major out of it."

This intersection of disciplines would later prove crucial as she searched for graduate programs. "I wanted to find something that connects both my majors," she says. "I really love math, and it would be a shame if I just tossed it."

Her search led her to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she completed her Ph.D., studying stimulated Raman scattering microscopy – a technique she describes with genuine passion.

"It really is a technique that combines a lot of different fields," Xu explains. "The principle itself is chemistry or physics... the laser and optical paths are physical... the samples I worked with are mostly biological... and after you collect the hyperspectral images, it's math and computer science when it comes to data analysis. Whatever story the data tells you comes back to biology and answers the questions you proposed."

Championing Women in STEM

Throughout her academic journey, Xu has been keenly aware of her identity as a woman in science. She recalls childhood encounters with gender bias that could have deterred a less determined young scientist.

"Growing up as a girl, you will hear this lie that girls are not as good in science as boys," she says. "I really liked math, and someday they would say, 'Once you grow up, you will not be as smart as the guys.'"

When she mentioned this to her mother as a joke, the response was swift and formative: "She got really mad and said, 'Don't ever listen to anything like that. It's lies and it’s sad that people would believe that.'"

This early lesson in rejecting gender stereotypes was reinforced during her undergraduate years through women-in-STEM events organized by one of her mathematics professors, Dr. Rachelle DeCoste. These gatherings celebrated women's accomplishments in scientific fields while acknowledging the challenges they faced.

"That's always something that I hold on to – I'm a woman in STEM, and I received a lot of help from other women in STEM. I'm hoping to be one that supports other women," Xu affirms.

Skills

Fiona Xi Xu brings a dynamic blend of biomedical research and advanced imaging expertise. She's deeply skilled in techniques like hyperspectral SRS, multiphoton fluorescence, and PLIM. She has put these to work developing methods to track cellular drug uptake and changes in cell metabolism related to disease. At the University of Washington, she was instrumental in creating 2D and 3D SRS-based techniques for cell growth and drug response measurements.

Her background isn't limited to biomedical research; she also explored environmental chemistry at Wheaton College, focusing on methylmercury production in leaf litter. Interestingly, her academic journey includes a thesis on mathematical symmetry groups, showcasing a diverse intellectual curiosity. She's also a capable educator, with experience as a Teaching Assistant, which highlights her ability to communicate complex scientific concepts effectively. Fiona is a published researcher, and her work reflects a commitment to advancing the field through innovative imaging and analytical approaches.

Looking Forward

Just two weeks into her new role as an applications scientist when interviewed, Xu describes her position as a blend of education and problem-solving. She helps clients utilize Raman spectroscopy technology effectively and develops new solutions when existing ones fall short.

Her enthusiasm for her specialty is evident when she calls Raman spectroscopy "a very underrated technique" with beautiful applications in life sciences. "You can do mapping, which gives you an image of what you see with chemical information, and you don't have to do any staining to get that image because it only relies on the intrinsic properties of the molecules," she explains.

With characteristic modesty coupled with determination, she adds, "I would love to be at least part of the reason why the field can grow and expand, even if it's just a tiny bit of that component."

As Dr. Fiona Xi Xu continues her career, she carries forward not just scientific knowledge but also the legacy of the women in STEM who supported her journey – a legacy she intends to extend to future generations of women scientists.

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