URBANA, Ill. (WLS) -- The University of Illinois announced Friday it has dismissed a tenured professor for falsifying research data and other complaints.
In a press release, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees said it voted to remove the tenure of Associate Professor of Biology Fei Wang and terminate him, effective immediately. The board said they received allegations that Wang falsified and fabricated research data in applications for federal grants, failed to properly mentor his graduate students, and did not take responsibility for errors that occurred in his lab.
The board said in a resolution: "It is the finding and conclusion of the Board, based on evidence and arguments presented, that Fei Wang has been grossly neglectful of or grossly inefficient in the performance of his university duties and functions, and there is clear and convincing evidence that Fei Wang can no longer be relied upon to perform university duties and functions in a manner consonant with professional standards of competence and responsibility."
University officials said accusations against Wang were first made in 2014 and had been under investigation since then. A review by the Urbana-Champaign Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure recommended dismissal in a report issued in April.