The head of Harvard’s chemistry and chemical biology department, Charles Lieber, was charged Tuesday with making false statements about his involvement with China’s program to recruit foreign researchers.
Lieber’s contract with the program, Thousand Talents, afforded him a monthly salary of up to $50,000 and annual living expenses of more than $150,000 over three years, according to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint against Lieber unsealed on Tuesday. He was also given more than $1.7 million by the Chinese government and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) to set up a lab and conduct research at the university.
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The Thousand Talents program, which aims to bring in leading scientists who “can enhance China’s high-tech industries and emerging disciplines” has been a focus of scrutiny. The FBI said in a complaint that the program has “rewarded individuals for stealing proprietary information and violating export controls.”1
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Lieber is one of Harvard’s most distinguished professors and a leader in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. The affidavit alleges that Lieber misrepresented his work with WUT through the Thousand Talents program to Harvard and lied to the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health. The DoD and NIH both fund Lieber’s research group at Harvard. To receive funding, Lieber’s research group is required to disclose foreign collaborations and support.
Lieber has been placed on paid administrative leave and is not allowed back on Harvard’s campus. Harvard said in a statement:
“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.”1
