A former Emory professor who was fired last year for failing to disclose income from China is facing federal charges, NBC News reports.
In May, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that two unnamed Emory researchers had left the school after it found that they did not disclose funding they received from China and had conducted more research with Chinese institutions than disclosed. Their dismissal came as officials in the US became concerned about foreign influence on US research and began investigating researchers who failed to disclose such foreign ties. Last month, Harvard University's Charles Lieber was charged with making false claims about funds received from China through its Thousand Talents program.
As NBC News now reports, Xiojiang Li, the former Emory professor, was charged in November for allegedly stealing grant funds. He allegedly accepted a full-time salary from Emory supported in part by grants, but also worked for a significant amount of time in China, it says. Li's wife Shihua was also fired last May but was not named in the criminal complaint, NBC News adds.
According to NBC News, Li said last May that he was "shocked" by his dismissal and that he had disclosed his relationships to Emory.