Jason Covert, an attorney representing Xiaofeng Wang and his wife, Nianli Ma, a library systems analyst at Indiana University, informed WIRED that both Wang and Ma are “safe” and have not been arrested. Their legal team currently has no knowledge of any impending criminal charges, although they have seen a search warrant from the Department of Justice. However, Covert mentioned that they have not been provided with a copy of the affidavit that establishes probable cause.
Wang is recognized as a leading researcher in the areas of privacy, data security, and biometric privacy, and his unexpected disappearance has surprised many in the academic community. He joined Indiana University in 2004 and serves as the lead principal investigator for the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing, which he founded in 2022 with nearly a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), as noted in a now-deleted biography on the university’s website. For his NSF funding application and other U.S. federal research grants, Wang would have been required to disclose any other grants he had received or that were pending review.
On March 28, the FBI conducted searches at two residences linked to Wang. On the same day, Indiana University reportedly terminated Wang’s employment through an email sent by provost Rahul Shrivastav, as reported by WIRED and first covered by The Indiana Daily Student. The email also noted that Wang had recently taken a position with a university in Singapore, a fact also reiterated in a statement linked to Li.
The statement claims Wang intended to begin his position at the unnamed Singaporean university on June 1, 2025, and had requested a leave of absence from Indiana University earlier in March. Instead, IU allegedly placed him on administrative leave, removed his university webpage, and deactivated his email address.
Wang’s new job offer is described as irrelevant by Tanford since it pertains to the next academic year and would not warrant his dismissal. He argues that terminating Wang’s employment via email contravened university policy, which disallows the dismissal of a tenured professor without just cause and mandates a 10-day notice alongside a possible hearing before a faculty review board upon the staff member’s request. Tanford expressed concern, stating, “The faculty is deeply concerned. If the administration can fire a tenured professor without due process and in violation of a policy approved by our trustees, none of us is safe.”
When contacted for a statement, an Indiana University spokesperson declined to address detailed questions from WIRED regarding previous communications between the university and Wang, as well as the decision to terminate his employment.
Mark Bode, a university spokesperson, asserted in an emailed statement to WIRED, “Indiana University was recently made aware of a federal investigation involving an Indiana University faculty member.” He added that at the FBI’s direction, the university would refrain from making public comments regarding the investigation and that Indiana University practices also preclude public comments on the individual’s status.
