US scientist falsely accused of hiding ties to China sues university that fired him
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Supporters of the Asian American community outside an appeal hearing for chemical engineer Feng ‘Franklin’ Tao (bottom row, third from right) in Denver, Colorado, in September 2023. Credit: APA Justice
A chemical engineer arrested in 2019 under the controversial China Initiative, which aimed to protect US laboratories and businesses from espionage, is suing his former university. Feng ‘Franklin’ Tao was cleared of all charges and is demanding that the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence return him to his position as a tenured professor. The move comes as US researchers of Asian heritage wait anxiously to see whether Donald Trump, who took office for the second time as US president on 20 January, will revive the contentious initiative.
Tao, who was born in China, filed the lawsuit on 3 January, asking KU to pay his lost wages, his attorneys’ fees and damages for emotional distress and injury to his reputation. The document says that KU violated its policies on disciplinary procedures against faculty members, as well as a signed agreement he had with the university, by firing him before his case concluded — and by assisting federal investigators in bringing charges against him. “Rather than embracing academic rigor and enlightened, critical judgment, the university allowed itself to join in fear mongering and racist witch hunting,” the lawsuit says.
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