Bioengineering Professor, Students Accused of Fraud

Virginia Tech’s Yiheng Percival Zhang was arrested for misusing grant funds from the federal government.

Written byKerry Grens

| 1 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

1:00

Seitz Hall, Virginia Tech WIKIMEDIA, ERIC T GUNTHER

Update (February 26): Yesterday, a US District Court judge determined that Zhang is guilty of conspiracy to defraud the government, false statements, and obstruction, according to The Roanoke Times.

Update (October 5): The US House Science, Space, and Technology Committee is investigating Zhang’s case and has asked Virginia Tech for relevant documents. “This investigation is consistent with the Committee’s broader goal of ensuring the effective management and stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) wrote in a letter to Virginia Tech’s president today.

A protein engineer who studies biofuels at Virginia Tech has been arrested on charges of defrauding the US government. Yiheng Percival Zhang, along with postdoc Chun You and former student Zhiguang Zhu, are accused of misusing grant funds topping $1 million.

...

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member?

Add The Scientist as a preferred Google source to see more of our trusted coverage.

Meet the Author

Kerry Grens
Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.
View Full Profile