Professor raided by FBI. Wiped from Indiana University website

The Details:

The FBI has raided the homes of Professor Xiaofeng Wang of Indiana University and his wife Nianli Ma, reports ArsTechnica.

All information about him has been removed from the school’s website. The profile of his wife who is Lead Systems Analyst and Programmer at the university’s Library Technologies division at Indiana University has also disappeared.

Wang told the Indy Star he received a notice of termination via email “effective immediately” and is not eligible to be rehired.

Wang has taught at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering and for two decades has conducted research and published papers about cybersecurity and cryptography.

The school released a statement to the Indiana Daily Student.

“Indiana University was recently made aware of a federal investigation of an Indiana University faculty member. At the direction of the FBI, Indiana University will not make any public comments regarding this investigation. In accordance with Indiana University practices, Indiana University will not make any public comments about the status of this individual.”

The school in its termination letter indicated that it understood that Wang had accepted a job at the University of Singapore.

“He was locked out of his office, locked out of his computer. He was suspended and why they could not have followed that proper procedure for another 10 days to give him his notice and the opportunity to be heard, so far, no explanation,” said Alex Tanford, professor emeritus of law at IU, to WTHR.

The faculty union issued a statement in support of Wang.

“While the outcome of those investigations may ultimately bear on Professor Wang’s continued appointment at IU, the mere fact of an investigation or of unadjudicated allegations cannot justify failure to comply with university policies on the part of the administration. It is fundamental that individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”