Stephen Hsu

Hsu was born and raised in Ames, Iowa.{{cite web|last=Kopytoff|first=Verne|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/NEWSMAKER-PROFILE-Stephen-Hsu-CEO-says-2882153.php|title=CEO says Safeweb plan will help open China|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=September 4, 2001|accessdate=June 28, 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030720101526/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/09/04/BU115268.DTL|archivedate=July 20, 2003|url-status=live}} His father Cheng Ting Hsu (1923–1996), who was born in Wenling, Zhejiang, in what was then the Republic of China, was a professor of aerospace engineering at Iowa State University in Ames from 1958 to 1989.{{cite web|url=https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2008/04/hsu-scholarship-at-caltech.html|title= Hsu scholarship at Caltech |last=Hsu|first=Steve|work=Information Processing|date=April 1, 2008|accessdate=June 28, 2020}} Stephen Hsu's mother was also originally from China, and Hsu had a grandfather who served as a general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Chinese Kuomintang government. At age 12, Hsu took physics and mathematics courses at Iowa State while attending Ames High School.{{cite web|last=Hsu|first=Steve|url=https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2010/11/school-daze.html|title=School daze|work=Information Processing|publisher=Blogspot|date=November 9, 2010|accessdate=June 28, 2020}}{{cite web|last=Hsu|first=Stephen|url=https://spartanideas.msu.edu/2014/12/07/feynman-lectures-epilogue/|title=Feynman Lectures: Epilogue|publisher=Michigan State University|accessdate=June 28, 2020|date=December 7, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-in-mact.html|title= Back in the MACT |last=Hsu|first=Steve|work=Information Processing|publisher=Blogspot|date=August 26, 2012|accessdate=June 28, 2020}}

Hsu received a B.S. from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1986 at age 19, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. After his doctorate, he was a Harvard Junior Fellow and Superconducting Super Collider Fellow from 1991 to 1994.

File:Richard Feynman and Stephen Hsu.jpg and Stephen Hsu (age 19). 1986 Caltech graduation.]]

In 1995, he became an assistant professor at Yale University before moving to the University of Oregon in 1998, where he became a full professor of theoretical physics and director of the Institute of Theoretical Science. Hsu's research has focused on a number of areas in particle physics and cosmology, including phase transitions in the early universe, the ground state of quark matter at high density,{{Cite journal |arxiv = hep-ph/9910313|doi = 10.1016/S0550-3213(00)00253-4|title = On the QCD ground state at high density|journal = Nuclear Physics B|volume = 581|issue = 1–2|pages = 391–408|year = 2000|last1 = Evans|first1 = Nick|last2 = Hormuzdiar|first2 = James|last3 = Hsu|first3 = Stephen D.H.|last4 = Schwetz|first4 = Myck|bibcode = 2000NuPhB.581..391E|s2cid = 14766144}} black holes{{Cite journal |arxiv = hep-ph/0203154|doi = 10.1016/S0370-2693(03)00012-1|title = Quantum production of black holes|journal = Physics Letters B|volume = 555|issue = 1–2|pages = 92–98|year = 2003|last1 = Hsu|first1 = Stephen D.H.|bibcode = 2003PhLB..555...92H|s2cid = 5793284}} and quantum information,{{Cite journal |arxiv = 0903.2258|doi = 10.1103/PhysRevD.79.124037|title = Black holes, information, and decoherence|journal = Physical Review D|volume = 79|issue = 12|pages = 124037|year = 2009|last1 = Hsu|first1 = Stephen D. H.|last2 = Reeb|first2 = David|bibcode = 2009PhRvD..79l4037H|s2cid = 119189621}} minimum length from quantum gravity,{{Cite journal |arxiv = hep-th/0405033|doi = 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.211101|title = Minimum Length from Quantum Mechanics and Classical General Relativity|journal = Physical Review Letters|volume = 93|issue = 21|pages = 211101|year = 2004|last1 = Calmet|first1 = Xavier|last2 = Graesser|first2 = Michael|last3 = Hsu|first3 = Stephen D. H.|pmid = 15600988|bibcode = 2004PhRvL..93u1101C|s2cid = 6699522}} dark energy,{{Cite journal |arxiv = hep-th/0403052|doi = 10.1016/j.physletb.2004.05.020|title = Entropy bounds and dark energy|journal = Physics Letters B|volume = 594|issue = 1–2|pages = 13–16|year = 2004|last1 = Hsu|first1 = Stephen D.H.|bibcode = 2004PhLB..594...13H|s2cid = 14447957}} and quantum foundations.{{Cite arXiv |eprint = 1511.08881|last1 = Hsu|first1 = Stephen D.H|title = The measure problem in no-collapse (many worlds) quantum mechanics|class = quant-ph|year = 2015}}

In July 2012, Michigan State University named him vice president for research and graduate studies. At the time, Inside Higher Ed and Lansing State Journal described the appointment as controversial, due to Hsu's comments endorsing research into using genetic modification to increase human intelligence, and his blog posts describing human race categorization as biologically valid.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Matthew |title=From 2012: New MSU VP for research has start-up experience, but controversial views concern some |url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/06/11/2012-michigan-state-msu-stephen-hsu-bgi-vice-president-research-bgi/5342723002/ |accessdate=June 18, 2020 |work=Lansing State Journal |date=October 7, 2012 |language=en|quote=The concerns HoSang laid out in his letter went beyond the BGI project. They were equally about positions Hsu had taken in his blog years earlier: that race is "clearly" a valid biological concept, that whether there are more-than-superficial differences between groups (in areas such as cognitive ability, personality and athletic prowess) is an open question.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/29/wake-controversy-over-harvard-dissertation-race-and-iq-scrutiny-michigan-state|title=Quest for 'Genius Babies'?|last=Flaherty|first=Colleen|work=Inside Higher Ed|date=May 29, 2013|accessdate=June 28, 2020}}

On June 10, 2020, the MSU graduate student union began calling for Hsu to be removed from the administrative position. The MSU student association also called for his removal, and multiple petitions were circulated, including a counter-petition.{{cite news |last1=Guzman |first1=Wendy |title=Michigan State VP of Research Stephen Hsu resigns |url=https://statenews.com/article/2020/06/michigan-state-vp-of-research-stephen-hsu-resigns |accessdate=20 June 2020 |work=The State News |date=19 June 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite news |last1=Lyons |first1=Craig |title=Petition seeks removal of MSU VP of research over controversial comments, research |url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2020/06/15/michigan-state-msu-stephen-hsu-research-removal-petition-graduate-employees-union/5345120002/ |accessdate=20 June 2020 |work=Lansing State Journal |publisher=USA Today |date=15 June 2020 |language=en}} As of June 17, petitions for removal had 700 and 470 signatures, while the counter petition had over 970 signatures.{{cite news |title=MSU VP of Research resigns after calls to be removed |url=https://www.wlns.com/news/msu-vp-of-research-resigns-after-calls-to-be-removed/ |accessdate=21 June 2020 |work=WLNS.com |issue=20 June 2020 |publisher=Nexstar}} On June 19, 2020 MSU president Samuel L. Stanley announced that Hsu had resigned as vice president, returning to a tenured faculty position. Hsu said that Stanley had requested his resignation, and that he did not agree with Stanley's decision.{{cite news |title=Resignation |url=https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2020/06/resignation.html |accessdate=19 June 2020 |work=infoproc.blogspot.com}}

In 2000, Hsu went on leave from the University of Oregon to create Safeweb, an anonymizer service.{{Cite web|title = Punching Holes In Internet Walls |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/26/technology/punching-holes-in-internet-walls.html |website = The New York Times | access-date = 2020-05-19|date = 2001-04-26 }} In 2003, SafeWeb was acquired by Symantec for its SSL VPN technology.{{Cite web| title = Symantec purchases SSL VPN maker SafeWeb | url = https://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240053109/Symantec-purchases-SSL-VPN-maker-SafeWeb

|access-date= 2020-06-21}}

Hsu is a founder of Genomic Prediction, a company that develops genetic testing for IVF embryos.{{Cite news|title = Modern genetics will improve health and usher in "designer" children |url = https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/11/07/modern-genetics-will-improve-health-and-usher-in-designer-children |newspaper = The Economist |access-date = 2020-04-23|date = 2019-11-07 }}{{Cite web|title = Polygenic Risk Scores and Genomic Prediction: Q&A with Stephen Hsu |url = https://www.genengnews.com/insights/polygenic-risk-scores-and-genomic-prediction-qa-with-stephen-hsu/ |website = genengnews.com | access-date = 2020-05-13|date = 2019-04-01 }} Hsu has an interest in psychometrics{{Cite journal|title = Where Nobel winners get their start |journal = Nature |date = 2016-10-06 |doi = 10.1038/nature.2016.20757 |last1 = Clynes |first1 = Tom |volume = 538 |issue = 7624 |page = 152 |pmid = 27734890 |bibcode = 2016Natur.538..152C |s2cid = 4466329 |doi-access = free }} and human genetic variation, which he writes about in his blog and in other publications.{{Cite web|title = Nautilus Magazine: Super-Intelligent Humans |url = http://nautil.us/issue/18/genius/super_intelligent-humans-are-coming |website = nautil.us |access-date = 2015-12-23|date = 2014-10-16 }}{{Cite web|title = Nautilus Magazine: Smart Machines |url = http://nautil.us/issue/28/2050/dont-worry-smart-machines-will-take-us-with-them |website = nautil.us |access-date = 2015-12-23|date = 2015-09-03 }}{{cite arXiv|title = Genetic Architecture of Intelligence |eprint = 1408.3421|last1 = Hsu|first1 = Stephen D. H.|class = q-bio.GN|year = 2014}}{{Cite web|title = Intelligence.org: Hsu on Cognitive Genomics |url = https://intelligence.org/2013/08/31/stephen-hsu-on-cognitive-genomics/ |website = intelligence.org |access-date = 2015-12-23|date = 2013-08-31 }}

In 2017, Hsu and five collaborators published a paper in Genetics on the use of lasso to construct genomic predictors of complex human traits (height, bone density, cognitive ability), using data from the UK Biobank. Their genotype height predictor estimated adult height within an accuracy of roughly one inch.{{Cite journal|last1=Lello|first1=Louis|last2=Avery|first2=Steven G.|last3=Tellier|first3=Laurent|last4=Vazquez|first4=Ana|last5=Campos|first5=Gustavo de los|last6=Hsu|first6=Stephen D. H.|date=2017-09-18|title=Accurate Genomic Prediction Of Human Height|journal=Genetics|volume=210|issue=2|pages=477–497|biorxiv=10.1101/190124|bibcode=2017arXiv170906489L|arxiv=1709.06489|pmid=30150289|doi=10.1534/genetics.118.301267|pmc=6216598}}

In 2018 his research group used the method on the same dataset to build genomic predictors for complex diseases such as hypothyroidism, (resistive) hypertension, type 1 and 2 diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, gallstones, glaucoma, gout, atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, asthma, basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and heart attack. Outliers in risk score (e.g., 99th percentile) were shown, in out-of-sample validation tests, to have up to ten times the risk of ordinary individuals for the specific conditions.{{Cite bioRxiv|last1=Hsu|first1=Stephen D. H.|last2=Tellier|first2=Laurent CAM|last3=Yong|first3=Soke Yuen|last4=Raben|first4=Timothy|last5=Lello|first5=Louis|date=2018-12-27|title=Genomic Prediction of Complex Disease Risk|biorxiv=10.1101/506600}}{{Cite news|url=https://hbr.org/podcast/2019/05/ai-and-the-genetic-revolution|title=AI and the Genetic Revolution|date=2019-05-08|work=Harvard Business Review|access-date=2019-05-20|issn=0017-8012}} The predictors use as input information dozens to thousands of common SNPs measured for each individual.

He serves as scientific adviser to BGI (formerly Beijing Genomics Institute), and as a member of its Cognitive Genomics Lab.{{Cite journal|title=Chinese project probes the genetics of genius|first=Ed|last=Yong|date=May 16, 2013|journal=Nature News|volume=497|issue=7449|pages=297–299|doi=10.1038/497297a|pmid=23676731|bibcode=2013Natur.497..297Y|doi-access=free}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.pa.msu.edu/profile/hsu/ Faculty page]
• [http://infoproc.blogspot.com/ Blog]
• [https://www.manifold1.com/ Podcast]
• [https://genomicprediction.com/ Genomic Prediction]

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Category:1966 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American physicists

Category:American people of Chinese descent

Category:California Institute of Technology alumni

Category:Harvard Fellows

Category:Michigan State University faculty

Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni

Category:University of Oregon faculty

Category:People from Ames, Iowa

Category:Scientists from Iowa