Harvard Professor Is Charged With Lying About Ties to Chinese University

A prominent professor at Harvard University was arrested on Tuesday and charged with lying to federal investigators about funding he had received from the Chinese government. The arrest occurred amid escalating academic tensions between the United States and China.

Charles M. Lieber, who is also chair of the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard, was paid $50,000 per month for his work at the Wuhan University of Technology, in China, as part of that country’s state-run “Thousand Talents Program,” according to a federal affidavit, but made false statements about his involvement with the program. The Chinese university also paid Lieber more than $150,000 per year in living expenses.

Lieber, renowned for his work in nanoscience and nanotechnology, also misled Harvard in 2018, when the National Institutes of Health inquired about his relationship with the Wuhan University of Technology, according to the affidavit.

Harvard has put the professor on paid leave, according to a statement from the university. Lieber was not immediately available for comment.

“The charges brought by the U.S. government against Professor Lieber are extremely serious. Harvard is cooperating with federal authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, and is conducting its own review of the alleged misconduct,” the statement reads. “Professor Lieber has been placed on indefinite administrative leave.”

The United States has become increasingly protective of American research in recent years, and some academics have been charged with sharing sensitive research with China. China’s “Thousand Talents Program” aims to recruit international experts for work in China, but was labeled a threat in a U.S. Senate subcommittee’s staff report.

American university research laboratories have drawn increased scrutiny and protection by federal officials amid mounting tension between the United States and China. Various government agencies have announced plans to protect “sensitive” research, according to a previous Chronicle article, and The New York Times reported that the State Department had imposed restrictions on Chinese students seeking visas to study in certain areas.