Before the official faculty profiles of esteemed cybersecurity professor Xiaofeng Wang and his spouse vanished and two residences were searched by the FBI last week, it was rumored that Indiana University, Bloomington (IU), had been scrutinizing potential unreported research funding from China, as reported by WIRED.
In December, Indiana University reached out to Wang regarding a grant in China from 2017-2018 where Wang was listed as a researcher. An unsigned statement believed to be authored by a longtime collaborator of Wang from Purdue University mentioned that IU was concerned about Wang’s alleged failure to disclose the funding received from China in university records and US federal research grant applications.
This statement, which has been circulating among academia internationally, suggests that Wang addressed the funding matter with IU and was notified in February about ongoing investigation by the university.
According to Alex Tanford, a retired professor at Indiana University, Wang sought guidance after being accused of research misconduct, specifically related to grant application and proper disclosure of coauthors, indicating trivial charges according to Tanford.
“He was concerned whether the university had the authority to restrict his access to office and computer resources during his active research work,” mentioned Tanford.
A review of Wang’s research papers from 2017 to 2018 reveals funding sources such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Army Research Office, Google, and Samsung.
While collaborating with researchers at the Institute of Information Engineering (IIE) in China, Wang acknowledged funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China for his associates, while stating his own support came from US grants.
The unsigned statement appears to be authored by Ninghui Li, a computer science academic at Purdue, who has collaborated with Wang since at least 2006, as indicated by sources. Li did not respond to communication attempts by WIRED.
Jason Covert, a legal representative for Xiaofeng Wang and Nianli Ma, a library systems analyst who had their profiles removed by Indiana University, confirmed that both are safe and not under arrest. The legal team is unaware of any pending charges, although they have seen a search warrant from the Department of Justice.
Wang, recognized as a leading expert in privacy, data security, and biometric privacy, shocked his academic community with his sudden absence. He has been leading the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing at IU, which was established in 2022 with a substantial grant from the National Science Foundation.
compelled to reveal other subsidies he had already acquired or were presently awaiting evaluation.
Two homes linked to Wang were reportedly raided by the FBI on March 28. On the same date, IU apparently dismissed Wang from his position through an email dispatched by provost Rahul Shrivastav, a message received by WIRED and initially disclosed by The Indiana Daily Student. The communication also noted Wang’s recent acceptance of a position at a university in Singapore, a fact reiterated in the statement attributed to Li.
As per the statement, Wang intended to commence his role at the undisclosed Singaporean university on June 1, 2025, after seeking a leave of absence from Indiana University in early March. However, IU’s response was to “put him on administrative leave, remove his IU homepage, and deactivate his IU email address,” it asserts.
Tanford remarks that the offer for Wang’s new job “holds no relevance since it pertains to the upcoming academic year and does not warrant his termination.” Tanford alleges that terminating his employment through an email violated the university’s regulations, which forbid the dismissal of a tenured professor without cause, and mandate a 10-day notice and a hearing before a faculty board of review if requested by the faculty member. “The faculty is greatly troubled. If the administration can dismiss a tenured professor without due process and against a policy sanctioned by our trustees, no one is secure,” he states.
When approached for a response, an IU representative declined to address detailed inquiries from WIRED regarding past communications between the university and Wang, as well as the school’s decision to terminate his employment.
“Indiana University recently became aware of a federal investigation involving a member of the Indiana University faculty,” stated university spokesperson Mark Bode in an email to WIRED. “In compliance with FBI directives, Indiana University will refrain from making any public statements regarding this investigation. As per Indiana University procedures, there will also be no public comments on the status of the individual.”
