Professor suspended over academic fraud allegations

Huazhong Agricultural University has suspended the work of a professor surnamed Huang, who students have accused of academic fraud, according to a notice released by the university on Friday morning.

The allegations came to light on Tuesday when one user on microblogging platform Sina Weibo posted a joint statement signed by 11 students, causing widespread concern.

The students alleged that Huang had engaged in data manipulation, falsification of experimental results and plagiarism in academic papers. Furthermore, they claimed that Huang had exerted undue influence over peer reviews, suppressed students and withheld their labor remuneration, behaviors that they deemed as breaching ethical standards.

According to the notice, an investigation into allegations of academic misconduct had found substantial evidence of Huang's irregularities in experimental images, data and results.

Consequently, the university suspended all of Huang's internal duties and work, while also establishing a supervisory group to take over the research work of the implicated research team.

The university emphasized its zero-tolerance policy toward academic misconduct and ethical violations, reaffirming its commitment to conducting a comprehensive investigation into the allegations.

The detailed 125-page document, circulated on social media, listed a range of serious academic misconduct by Huang, as per the joint statement by the students. They contended that during their studies, Huang had coerced them into manipulating data and fabricating experimental results, significantly undermining the fairness and credibility of scientific research.

On Tuesday evening, the College of Animal Science and Technology and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Huazhong Agricultural University issued a statement, asserting their commitment to ethical standards and their zero-tolerance of academic misconduct.

They announced the formation of a dedicated task force to initiate an investigation into the matter and pledged to handle the issue in accordance with the investigation's conclusions and relevant regulations.

According to public records, Huang is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Animal Science and Technology, specializing in animal molecular nutrition and feed processing technology.

Following the joint and public accusations by 11 master's and doctoral students, Huang's faculty profile on the websites of the College of Animal Science and Technology and the College of Veterinary Medicine has been removed.

On Thursday afternoon, Huang responded to a news outlet, refuting the students' allegations as not real. He stated that he had thoroughly reviewed the 125-page report and had prepared a response with evidence to submit to the university.

Contact the writers at liukun@chinadaily.com.cn