Charles Lieber Arrested

Friedman University Professor charged with lying about research ties to China

Harvard shield with the Latin word "veritas" meaning truth.

Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, and a University Professor, a designation bestowed on only the most eminent scholars, has been arrested, charged with misleading investigators from the Department of Defense about his work for a Chinese government-sponsored program designed to identify and financially support leading scientific researchers both in China and abroad. The U.S. government has characterized the program as a threat to national security.  

An affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint in Boston further accuses Lieber of making false statements to the National Institutes of Health—a major funder of his research into nanoscale biological interfaces, such as transistors that can interact with intracellular biological machinery—as well as to Harvard itself, about his connections to the Thousand Talents program and the Wuhan University of Technology. 

According to The New York Times“Dr. Lieber has made no secret of his work with Chinese partners, joining five senior Chinese officials and scientists in 2013 to found the WUT-Harvard Joint Nano Key Laboratory at the Wuhan University of Technology.” He was recently named co-winner of the Welch Award, for pioneering work in nanoscience and nanomaterials. 

Harvard issued a brief statement about Lieber’s arrest: “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. Professor Lieber has been placed on indefinite administrative leave.” Such leaves typically mean the affected person is denied access to campus and is separated from University teaching and research roles.

Today’s announcement follows the previously reported arrest of medical student Zaosong Zheng, who is charged with attempting to smuggle cancer research material out of the country from his laboratory at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. That arrest, and the charges filed against Lieber, come during a time of increased government scrutiny of China’s effort to acquire scientific and technical expertise from corporations, universities, and other targets through means alleged to be both legal and “extralegal.” 

Reports by Bloomberg News and The Chronicle of Higher Education provide further context for the government’s crackdown on Chinese access to cutting-edge biomedical research.

Read more articles by Jonathan Shaw

You might also like

The Price of Resistance

What Columbia’s settlement means for Harvard

Harvard Adopts Reforms as Higher Ed Turmoil Continues

University creates new “interfaith engagement” role; Columbia, Brown settle with the government.

“Do You Find That Reasonable?” Harvard Undergraduates Discuss a Changing University

A student panel grapples—civilly—with shifting policies and differing opinions.

Most popular

Hold the Fries

Baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes are better.

The Latest In Harvard’s Fight with the Trump Administration

Back-and-forth reports on settlement talks, new accusations from the government, and a reshuffling of two federal compliance offices

The School of Public Health, Facing a Financial Reckoning, Seizes the Chance to Reinvent Itself

Dean Andrea Baccarelli plans for a smaller, more impactful Chan School of 2030.

Explore More From Current Issue

Matt Levine in a dark blazer and glasses stands smiling with arms crossed in front of a large window in a city building.

Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column

Colorful glass bottles and nautical trinkets line a window shelf, with a ship in a bottle as the centerpiece.

I Spy Creator Walter Wick at the Norman Rockwell Museum 

Alexander Gardner’s 1868 photo shows federal peace commissioners with Sophie Mousseau, the lone woman at center.

The wealth gap, shamanism, the life of David Nathan, and more