This story has been updated.
An IU department chair questioned evidence apparently used by the university to fire renowned computer security expert XiaoFeng Wang.
Wang, a tenured professor, was fired March 28 — the same day the FBI searched his homes in Bloomington and Carmel. Neither IU nor the FBI has explained the actions.
A colleague of Wang’s said it involved an undisclosed research grant from China in 2017-2018.
Speaking at a protest rally today on campus, IU computer science chair Yuzhen Ye said Wang wasn’t even aware of the grant when university officials asked him about it.
“So apparently a researcher in China applied for this grant without his knowledge," she said "So (Wang) explained and also he provided a supporting documentation to IU.”
Ye said she thought that would be the end of the matter.
“I truly believe this really could have unfolded in a very different way if IU administration had chosen to trust its own faculty or give them a fair chance to respond,” she said.
So far IU and the FBI have not commented on Wang's case or the firing of his wife, Nianli Ma, another former university employee.
An attorney at Stanford has filed a motion to unseal the FBI search documents. On Thursday, the government filed its response, asking the court to deny the motion.
Read more: Wang's wife asks 'What have we done to deserve this treatment?'
