US university reinstates Professor Hu Anming, who was acquitted of hiding China ties
- The nanotechnology expert has received US$300,000 in funding to restart his research programme
- Hu was accused of fraud over his position at a Beijing university, but a US judge said there was no evidence that Hu took any money from China
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has reinstated a professor who was acquitted of federal charges that had accused him of hiding his relationship with a Chinese university while receiving Nasa research grants.
Nanotechnology expert Hu Anming returned to UT this week with tenure, his lawyer Phil Lomonaco told the Knoxville News Sentinel. He received US$300,000 worth of funding to restart his research programme and has been provided similar lab space.
Hu was arrested in February 2020, charged with wire fraud and making false statements.
The case went to trial last June, but the jury deadlocked. Prosecutors had filed a notice that they intended to retry the case, but the judge acquitted Hu in September.
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The arrest was part of a broader Justice Department crackdown under then President Donald Trump’s administration against university researchers suspected of concealing their ties to Chinese institutions.