• Robert Montoya recently investigated the case of Texas A&M's associate head of graduate studies in chemistry, who resigned and returned to China to work at a government-funded laboratory. An American research specialist is calling this a security failure on the university's part.
  
• In October, the Yongjiang Laboratory in Ningbo, China, announced that Dr. Lei Fang had assumed a leadership role at the lab. Fang had been at A&M since 2013 before resigning this spring.
  
• Research security specialist Allen Phelps of IPTalons identified Yongjiang as part of China's network of government-backed labs. Despite studying and working at multiple American universities since 2006, Phelps' research found that Dr. Fang "extensively traveled" to China to attend conferences and give lectures between 2014 and 2020.
  
• Phelps' analysis of open source information found a "clear, documented pattern of foreign engagement" that he believes should have alarmed Texas A&M. According to Phelps, Fang had "privileged, non-public access to the cutting-edge research" of competing scientists in America. Among other things, Fang also licensed a Texas A&M-owned U.S. patent to a Chinese company the scientist co-founded in 2017. Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment.

The Texas Minute (via Michael Quinn Sullivan) is the source.

Looks like vetting of Chinese Nationals engaging in espionage continues to be a thing.

So when do we actually vet these folks before issuing them a VISA.

Or better yet, don't let them in.

Would have saved 1 California Dem Senator alot of marital heartache (Fang Fang reference).

TexasAggie81 said:

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Phelps' analysis of open source information found a "clear, documented pattern of foreign engagement" that he believes should have alarmed Texas A&M.

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We were more concerned about our DEI score.

This kind of crap needs to stop yesterday. All kinds of American dollars for decades to fund this work.

Quote:

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For example, Phelps reported that Dr. Fang licensed a Texas A&M-owned U.S. patent to Ningbo Kunpeng Environmental Sci-Tech Co., Ltd., a company Dr. Fang co-founded in 2017. Phelps called this a "stunning conflict of interest." He added that "this not only raises questions about the proprietary nature of the research but also about whether his primary commitment was to the American taxpayer who funded the underlying science, or to his foreign commercial and academic partners."

Beyond just Texas A&M, there are national security concerns. "Dr. Fang was not just a professor; he was a recipient of prestigious, sensitive federal grants … that were active up to or beyond his 2025 departure," Phelps wrote the report.

Dr. Fang was a panelist at the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship in 2016 and 2017, and was a technical reviewer for American research proposals. Phelps wrote this gave Dr. Fang "privileged, non-public access to the cutting-edge research" of competing scientists in America. Phelps wrote that Dr. Fang took this "sensitive information" back with him to help run Yongjiang Lab.

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Invite him back to give him an award and a huge bonus. If he shows up, hang him, and post it on ticktock.

No way to trust any of them w/ mainland relatives...

This is similar to the plot of We've Never Been Licked.

Is he actually credibly accused of anything nefarious? As far as I can see, there's no activity listed in this article that isn't publicly available in his CV, which you linked, or their former lab web page. It's plainly obvious why he's returned to China: his lab was primarily funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that have now been slashed by the Trump administration. What would you expect him to do, just hang out in the US letting his career wither due to lack of funding? It's hardly seems nefarious that he's moved on to greener pastures in his home country. There are researchers in the US from all over the world doing exactly the same right now to try to salvage their careers as US funding dries up. It seems the only thing he's credibly accused of is doing research while Chinese. Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

snowminer said:

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Is he actually credibly accused of anything nefarious? As far as I can see, there's no activity listed in this article that isn't publicly available in his CV, which you linked, or their former lab web page. It's plainly obvious why he's returned to China: his lab was primarily funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that have now been slashed by the Trump administration.

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Quote:

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Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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I want people to be here legally and not for nefarious purposes.

Sure seems like this guy was a spy, like many, many foreigners in the US.

No more crying about foreign Aggie grad students being deported.

Keller6Ag91 said:

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Would have saved 1 California Dem Senator alot of marital heartache (Fang Fang reference).

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That guy is too stupid to have been of any help to any spy. And I'm sure whatever wife he may have (if married; I don't know myself) thinks the same thing about him in other ways.

Ellis Wyatt said:

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Quote:

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Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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I want people to be here legally and not for nefarious purposes.

Sure seems like this guy was a spy, like many, many foreigners in the US.

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Based upon what? The article makes no specific claims on any specific research that he 'stole' or any 'secret' information he had access to. So again, besides doing research while being Chinese and returning home where there's research funding, what exactly did he do?

nortex97 said:

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This kind of crap needs to stop yesterday. All kinds of American dollars for decades to fund this work.

Quote:

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For example, Phelps reported that Dr. Fang licensed a Texas A&M-owned U.S. patent to Ningbo Kunpeng Environmental Sci-Tech Co., Ltd., a company Dr. Fang co-founded in 2017. Phelps called this a "stunning conflict of interest." He added that "this not only raises questions about the proprietary nature of the research but also about whether his primary commitment was to the American taxpayer who funded the underlying science, or to his foreign commercial and academic partners."

Beyond just Texas A&M, there are national security concerns. "Dr. Fang was not just a professor; he was a recipient of prestigious, sensitive federal grants … that were active up to or beyond his 2025 departure," Phelps wrote the report.

Dr. Fang was a panelist at the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship in 2016 and 2017, and was a technical reviewer for American research proposals. Phelps wrote this gave Dr. Fang "privileged, non-public access to the cutting-edge research" of competing scientists in America. Phelps wrote that Dr. Fang took this "sensitive information" back with him to help run Yongjiang Lab.

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Professors starting up companies and licensing their own technology from their home institution is standard practice and actively encouraged. Where's the stunning conflict?

A conflict could arise later if the professor uses university resources without compensation from the company to improve the technology or somehow further the research. But that would be handled under a conflict of interest management plan managed by the department and college.

I can only assume the technology is not export controlled under ITAR or EAR regulations (otherwise it would be an espionage or federal crime issue).

So I'm trying to understand the problem with the story. Was this controlled defense technology? If not, then the fact that there is a royalty bearing license for use of the technology by Chinese company is much better news than them simply stealing the technology. It's the most control you can have under our system for a patent that already has all of the secret sauce published in the patent document freely available on the internet.

So I'm trying to understand the outrage. This is absolutely normal activity across every research university in the US.

Caveat: assuming it's not export controlled technology. Then that's a different matter entirely.

So, foreign researcher leaves position and goes home after 10 years? I didn't see anything specific here other than, "He had access to stuff and left." Exactly what is he supposed to have stolen or given to the Chinese?

Chinese Professor a security threat???

I DON'T BEREIVE IT!!!

snowminer said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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Quote:

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Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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I want people to be here legally and not for nefarious purposes.

Sure seems like this guy was a spy, like many, many foreigners in the US.

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Based upon what? The article makes no specific claims on any specific research that he 'stole' or any 'secret' information he had access to. So again, besides doing research while being Chinese and returning home where there's research funding, what exactly did he do?

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Chinese researchers are all spies. That's fine if it's your typical research. We're an open society and that stuff gets published eventually. The problems develop when they get involved with national security stuff.

snowminer said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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Quote:

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Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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I want people to be here legally and not for nefarious purposes.

Sure seems like this guy was a spy, like many, many foreigners in the US.

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Based upon what?

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Common sense

This would be troubling if Fang was working on sensitive DOD or DOE projects. He was not.
This story is the definition of a nothing burger.

What a load of BS. The vast majority of academic research in the US is published and accessible for to anyone with an internet connection. They don't need to be spies to access it, because we give it all away for free.

snowminer said:

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Is he actually credibly accused of anything nefarious? As far as I can see, there's no activity listed in this article that isn't publicly available in his CV, which you linked, or their former lab web page. It's plainly obvious why he's returned to China: his lab was primarily funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that have now been slashed by the Trump administration. What would you expect him to do, just hang out in the US letting his career wither due to lack of funding? It's hardly seems nefarious that he's moved on to greener pastures in his home country. There are researchers in the US from all over the world doing exactly the same right now to try to salvage their careers as US funding dries up. It seems the only thing he's credibly accused of is doing research while Chinese. Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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Spot on. This is the type of clickbait hysteria Texas Scorecard is (in)famous for.

Cant wait to bump this thread after the investigation is complete.

snowminer said:

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What a load of BS. The vast majority of academic research in the US is published and accessible for to anyone with an internet connection. They don't need to be spies to access it, because we give it all away for free.

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Thanks for restating my point.

FlyRod said:

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snowminer said:

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Is he actually credibly accused of anything nefarious? As far as I can see, there's no activity listed in this article that isn't publicly available in his CV, which you linked, or their former lab web page. It's plainly obvious why he's returned to China: his lab was primarily funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that have now been slashed by the Trump administration. What would you expect him to do, just hang out in the US letting his career wither due to lack of funding? It's hardly seems nefarious that he's moved on to greener pastures in his home country. There are researchers in the US from all over the world doing exactly the same right now to try to salvage their careers as US funding dries up. It seems the only thing he's credibly accused of is doing research while Chinese. Besides isn't this exactly what all of you wanted? For people like him to move on back to their home countries? Congratulations, mission accomplished!

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Spot on. This is the type of clickbait hysteria Texas Scorecard is (in)famous for.

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Same group that said the Qatar campus put American nuclear secrets at risk.

But it DID get the Qatar campus shut down.

Something about choking dogs and medicine.