[By Guancha Observer Wang Yi] "Questions still linger five years after the death of renowned Chinese-American scientist TAO Nongjian," reports the Hong Kong *South China Morning Post* with the headline on April 15. The US police report stated that TAO Nongjian died by suicide, under immense work pressure before his death, but doubts persist as to whether this pressure stemmed from an investigation conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) against him.
The report pointed out that although the director of the biodesign institute where TAO Nongjian's research project belonged denied that the US government had ever initiated an investigation against him, the Asian American civil rights organization reported last year that the suicide of a famous Chinese professor at Arizona State University was related to the NIH investigation. TAO Nongjian's students also found it hard to believe that their mentor who was preparing to introduce new faculty members just hours before his death committed suicide.
In 2018, the first administration of Trump instructed the US Department of Justice to launch the infamous "China Initiative" on the pretext of "China stealing American intellectual property." The NIH then launched investigations into Chinese-American scientists in the US. Although the Biden administration officially suspended the "China Initiative" in 2022, the NIH's investigations have never stopped.
Now, with Trump returning to the White House, the US scientific environment is deteriorating. Some professors and universities have been questioned by law enforcement agencies. Outside observers worry that the "China Initiative" may make a comeback, and related investigations may harm more Chinese-American scientists directly or indirectly.
Pressure leading to suicide?
TAO Nongjian, who passed away in 2020, was a professor of electrical engineering at Arizona State University. He made significant achievements in nanoscale measurement in many fields such as molecular electronics, optical imaging, and biosensing. In March 2020, he was found dead outside a four-story parking garage on campus.
The police report seen by the *South China Morning Post* indicated that TAO Nongjian died by suicide, with handprints and footprints found on the guardrail of the top floor of the parking building, suggesting that he attempted to climb over it. The police report also stated that TAO Nongjian was under immense work pressure before his death, but some people around him found it hard to believe. Just hours before he was found dead, TAO Nongjian sent an email to his team members introducing new faculty candidates, and everything seemed normal.
TAO Nongjian - Arizona State University website
"I can hardly believe it," said Shaopeng Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University, when talking about the death of his doctoral advisor. He and others were told that TAO Nongjian, aged 56, suffered from heart disease, and fell down while exercising in the garage building after the gym was closed due to the pandemic.
Last year, the American Psychological Association Justice Organization (APA Justice) stated that the suicide of a famous Chinese-American professor at Arizona State University "was reportedly caused by an investigation initiated by the NIH." The *South China Morning Post* pointed out that the organization did not reveal the name of the professor, but since 2018, the NIH has been conducting secret investigations and penalties for scientists with ties to China.
In 2024, Ying Wu, a professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and neuroscientist, was found dead by suicide at home. Subsequent reports indicated that she was under investigation by the NIH, her laboratory was shut down, her research qualifications were revoked, and her research career was devastated. *Science* magazine reported in 2023 that by June 9th, the NIH confirmed that 250 scientists (most of whom were Asian-Americans) failed to disclose their collaborations with China in research funded by the NIH or violated other regulations, resulting in 112 scientists losing their jobs.
The *South China Morning Post* reported that in 2020, the "China Initiative" of the US Department of Justice and the NIH investigation were fully launched simultaneously, hundreds of scientists were reviewed, dozens lost their jobs and careers, and their financial situations collapsed. Shaopeng Wang recalled, "The entire Chinese research community faced immense pressure."
TAO Nongjian's Chinese heritage and close cooperation with Chinese universities made him an easy target for potential NIH investigations. Public records show that TAO Nongjian was one of only two Chinese professors at Arizona State University since 2018; the other DNA nanotechnology professor died of lung cancer. The *South China Morning Post* discovered that TAO Nongjian had received over $10 million in funding from the NIH over the years and maintained close cooperation with Chinese universities. A former colleague who wished to remain anonymous told the *South China Morning Post* that TAO Nongjian "had collaborated with Chinese people many times" and was also a distinguished professor at Nanjing University.
Joshua LaBaer, director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, insisted that although Chinese faculty members were "very tense" at the time, he knew that TAO Nongjian had never been investigated. LaBaer claimed that the research center led by TAO Nongjian was affiliated with the Biodesign Institute, and if the federal government had investigated TAO Nongjian, his office would have been notified.
"Cases targeting Chinese-American scientists will likely reappear."
According to the obituary released by Arizona State University, TAO Nongjian was born in Anhui Province, China in 1963, and went to study for a PhD in physics at the university through the CUSPEA program initiated by Chinese-American physicist Tsung-Dao Lee in 1984.
During his graduate studies, TAO Nongjian made several important discoveries in DNA molecule research. After completing his postdoctoral research at City College of New York, he returned to Arizona State University to engage in research in the emerging field of nanoscience. Later, TAO Nongjian joined Florida International University in 1992 and independently completed a milestone experiment in molecular electronics, which later earned him the highest medal in electroanalytical chemistry.
In 2021, TAO Nongjian returned to Arizona State University as a professor of electrical engineering. A year later, he was appointed as a distinguished professor at Nanjing University. At Nanjing University, TAO Nongjian installed a series of advanced microscopes using light to detect subtle chemical changes on surfaces, including a system described as "the world's first."
*Nature* magazine reported that TAO Nongjian's teaching style and research approach were similar; he set an example by working long hours, deeply thinking about research, and constantly posing questions to challenge himself and his students. When equipment malfunctioned, he would joke with his students, "If nothing breaks, I think you haven't done anything."
After TAO Nongjian's death, one of his projects was handed over to Shaopeng Wang. Their team thanked TAO Nongjian in a paper published in 2024 for his "leadership, foresight, and fundraising efforts" during the early stages of the research. Shaopeng Wang still does not believe that TAO Nongjian committed suicide, "I know his daily routine; he exercised every afternoon. Given his personality, he wouldn't do that. I believe it was an accident."
The *South China Morning Post* reported that the cause of TAO Nongjian's death may never be known, but under the influence of increasing US national security concerns and reduced federal funding, the investigation of Chinese-American scientists by the US government continues.
Last month, the residence of prominent Chinese-American professor Xiaofeng Wang at Indiana University was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and all his information was removed from the university's website. Observers commented that Wang's experience has left many American Chinese scientists feeling uneasy, and the "China Initiative" of the Trump administration may be entering its version 2.0.
The "China Initiative" was launched in November 2018. At that time, the Trump administration required the 94 regional justice departments to file at least one or two cases against China annually to prevent what they called "China stealing information from the United States." Intelligence agencies also used the initiative as a justification to fabricate "Chinese academic spies," creating many wrongful cases.
Notably, the initiative did not expose any so-called "spies," but many researchers under investigation lost their jobs, and their lives were completely disrupted. On February 23, 2022, the Biden administration announced the termination of the "China Initiative," but the chilling effect of the action remains.
As early as last year's US presidential election, Chinese-American scientists who were persecuted by the "China Initiative" expressed concern that regardless of who the new president is, the harm would continue.
In March this year, Nixon Peabody LLP reported that they had recently received numerous inquiries from colleges and professors concerned about being reviewed by law enforcement agencies regarding their interactions with foreign entities. Despite the low success rate of cases brought under the "China Initiative" compared to the Department of Justice's usual success rate, some US lawmakers are calling for the resumption of the plan.
The firm issued a warning that regardless of whether this plan is officially resumed, academia and tech companies should anticipate that such cases will reappear in the coming months and years.
Out of such concerns, an increasing number of top scientists in the US are choosing to return to China for employment, leading to a "join wave" of world-class scientists at Chinese universities and research institutions, not only including Chinese scholars but also many foreign academic experts. A survey result published by *Nature* magazine in March showed that 75% of over 1600 surveyed researchers are considering leaving the US.
Yau Shing-Tung, a Chinese mathematician who returned to China last December, told reporters in an interview last December that these scientists have no choice but to leave the US because they can only perform at their best in a supportive research environment. This brain drain will weaken the US's scientific capabilities.
This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493446195499598399/
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