News Update

UCSD professor alleges he was pushed out unfairly

A professor alleges he was forced out of his position at UC San Diego because of his connections with Chinese universities, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The university began investigating professor Xiang-Dong Fu in 2019 for allegedly violating its conflict of commitment policy.

A disciplinary panel recommended Fu be suspended for two years, but he resigned effective Dec. 5, saying he did nothing wrong, according to the newspaper. The university also recommended he be suspended from receiving funds from the National Institutes of Health for four years.

The investigation into Fu follows the 2018 China Initiative under President Donald Trump, which was intended to prevent China from stealing U.S. intellectual property. It has been criticized for unfairly targeting Chinese professors.

Fu is a professor of cellular and molecular medicine.