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A former Harvard 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ academic convicted of concealing his ties to China has taken up a professorship at a top Chinese university.?

Charles Lieber, a former chemist and nanoscientist at Harvard, was convicted in 2021 after federal investigators found he had hidden payments from the Chinese authorities in a?high-profile case?in the wake of US president Donald Trump¡¯s controversial China Initiative.?

Lieber, who was suffering from incurable blood cancer, was?sentenced to half a year of house arrest in 2023, on top of monetary fines, but avoided prison.?

The scientist joined Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, China¡¯s top institution, as a chair professor in April, the institution has announced.?

He will be conducting research at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, a joint venture campus first established in the Greater Bay area in 2001.?

In a statement released by the university, Lieber said he was ¡°eager to embark on this journey¡± and lauded ¡°Shenzhen¡¯s dynamism and innovative spirit¡±, saying that this aligned ¡°perfectly with my vision to co-create a global scientific hub here¡±.?

Evidence presented against Lieber at the 2021 trial showed his contract with Chinese authorities paid him up to $50,000 (?37,650) per month in salary, up to $150,000 in living expenses, and another $1.5 million for research activities.

His defenders said he had hidden many of these payments to avoid controversy over the politically sensitive matter.?

Tsinghua vice-president Wang Hongwei said Lieber would ¡°significantly advance materials science and biomedical engineering development at Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and Shenzhen, foster in-depth interdisciplinary collaborations between domestic and international research teams, and support the growth of young scholars into world-class scientists¡±.?

It comes as academics are?increasingly departing US universities?following widespread attacks on higher education, including funding cuts, under Trump¡¯s current administration.

Universities around the world have been?eager to poach talent?leaving the US.

Lieber had also previously reportedly??to take up an academic position at the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Hong Kong.?

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com