Top Harvard Chemistry Chair Moves to China
Defection?
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6 May 2025 (Tuesday)
Top Harvard Chemistry Chair Moves to China
Defection?
By Wendell Minnick (Whiskey Mike) 顏文德
TAIPEI - The incident was first reported by Chemistry World on 2 May.
Charles Lieber, a pioneering Harvard nanoscientist and former chair of the university’s chemistry department, has effectively “defected” to China after being convicted in U.S. federal court on six charges related to his undisclosed financial ties with Chinese institutions.
According to a press release from the U.S. government, Lieber lied to federal authorities about his involvement with China’s Thousand Talents Program and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). He also failed to report income he received from WUT.
Following his arrest and conviction in December 2021, Harvard placed Lieber on paid administrative leave until his retirement in February 2023.
On 28 April, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) announced Lieber as a full-time faculty member — a major acquisition given his stature in the field of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is considered a transformative, disruptive technology with broad applications in science, medicine, biomechanics, and defense.
In defense, its implications range from advanced body armor (as depicted in the Iron Man films), to enhanced surveillance tools and the development of smaller, more potent nuclear weapons.
In a 2006 article in Materials Today, co-authored with Yat Li, Fang Qian, and Jie Xiang, Lieber acknowledged funding from several U.S. defense-related organizations, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), as well as Intel, the National Science Foundation, Applied Biosystems, and Samsung.
The involvement of DARPA and AFOSR raises significant concerns. How did someone with such sensitive affiliations avoid a severe sentence?
Despite being found guilty, Lieber was sentenced to six months of house arrest and later permitted to travel internationally.
Notably, in 2011, Lieber — who is Jewish — was named the leading chemist in the world for the decade 2000–2010 by Reuters.
Speaking as a fellow Jew, I believe the U.S. government should have done more to retain someone of Lieber’s caliber — a scientist of “Einsteinian” potential — particularly given the historical impact of Jewish scientists like those involved in the Manhattan Project. Letting such talent walk away, especially if they feel wronged, can have serious geopolitical consequences.
Lieber’s move to China draws an eerie parallel to the case of Gerald Bull, the Canadian ballistics expert who helped Iraq develop a long-range “supergun.” After violating arms sanctions with South Africa, Bull was imprisoned. Upon his release, the Chinese government flew him to Beijing first class, where he contributed significantly to China’s artillery development. He was later assassinated in 1990 after aiding Iraq.
Charles Lieber:
Agree 100%, Jewish or not. He should not roam free while his knowledge is current.