News Update

UC Davis professor under investigation for allegedly raping high school student

A UC Davis professor is under investigation for allegedly raping a high school student he mentored, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The chemistry professor, who has worked at the school for more than 20 years, was placed on paid leave in January 2021 following a lawsuit from the student, which was later dismissed.

In the 2020 lawsuit, the student alleged professor Ting Guo raped her on three different occasions in 2010 when she was 18. She originally met him during an assignment in her AP Chemistry class that required her to shadow a chemist.

The student also filed a police report in 2018.

The university’s Title IX office is investigating Guo. An external investigation is also evaluating the university’s campus activities involving minors since 2010 and determining whether other department leaders should have known about the alleged misconduct, according to the Chronicle.

Prior to being put on leave, Guo was involved in multiple high school programs at UC Davis, including the UC Davis Young Scholars Program, a summer research program during which high school students live on campus for six weeks.