SIU professor accused of illegal collaboration with Chinese government

CARBONDALE, Ill. (WJPF) — A math professor at SIU faces charges connected to possible grant fraud and illegal collaboration with the Chinese government.

Federal prosecutors say Mingqing Xiao, 59, of Makanda obtained more than $150,000 in grant money from the National Science Foundation while hiding other funding he was also receiving from the Chinese government and a Chinese university.

Xiao is also accused of neglecting to inform the National Science Foundation that he was employed by a Chinese university and had made a commitment to teach and conduct research there from 2018 – 2020.

Xiao’s research at SIU focused on advanced mathematics like differential equations, control theory, optimization theory, dynamical systems, and computational science.

If convicted Xiao could face decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.