Report Warns Chinese Academics at Elite U.S. Universities Had Ties to CCP ‘Thousand Talents’ Program

A watchdog investigation raises national security concerns over federally funded research involving scholars linked to China’s Thousand Talents and related recruitment efforts.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

A new oversight report is raising alarms that some of the nation’s most prominent universities and research laboratories have hosted Chinese academics tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) notorious talent recruitment programs, including the Thousand Talents Program, which U.S. officials have long warned is used to acquire American scientific and technological know-how for Beijing.

According to a recent investigation cited by Just the News, researchers affiliated with the CCP’s talent programs have worked at elite U.S. institutions while participating in federally funded projects involving advanced and potentially dual-use technologies. The findings have renewed scrutiny of how American universities vet foreign researchers and protect sensitive research from foreign exploitation, as reported by the outlet.

The report was produced by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative watchdog group, which identified nearly two dozen Chinese academics at top U.S. schools and laboratories whom it says pose potential national security risks. The group argued these individuals should be expelled from the United States or denied re-entry due to the “dual-use threat” of their research, close ties to China’s military research sector, or direct links to the CCP.

Multiple Chinese students and researchers with affiliations to CCP talent programs appeared in the foundation’s assessment, including the Thousand Talents Program and the closely related Hundred Talents and Chunhui (“Spring Sunshine”) programs. A since-deleted Chinese government website for the Thousand Talents Program stated that its leadership group included the CCP Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, underscoring direct party control over the initiative.

U.S. funding and security risks

The American Accountability Foundation’s report, titled Chinese Scientist Infiltration Threat Assessments, warned that some Chinese researchers at U.S. institutions have received American federal funding, including Pentagon grants, while working on advanced technologies that could benefit China’s military-civil fusion strategy. Universities named in the report include Cornell University, Purdue University, Penn State University, the University of Wisconsin, and Carnegie Mellon University. None of the institutions or the academics identified responded to requests for comment, according to Just the News.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has publicly described the United Front system—of which the Thousand Talents Program has been identified as a component—as a “magic weapon” for advancing CCP objectives. The U.S. Justice Department said in 2020 that the Thousand Talents Plan is among China’s most prominent recruitment programs designed to lure experts into transferring proprietary knowledge to China, “licitly or otherwise,” as outlined in a federal statement.

One of the most well-known cases involved former Harvard professor Charles Lieber, who was found guilty in 2021 of lying about his ties to China’s Thousand Talents Program while receiving U.S. government funding. Lieber later accepted a position in China after serving his sentence, highlighting concerns about the long-term transfer of U.S.-derived expertise abroad.

The House Select Committee on the CCP warned in its 2024 “CCP on the Quad” report that the Thousand Talents Program is only one of hundreds of Chinese recruitment efforts aimed at extracting foreign research and intellectual property. The committee said these programs are central to China’s military-civil fusion strategy, which seeks to repurpose civilian research for military applications.

Specific cases cited

Among the individuals flagged in the watchdog report was Dr. Yu Zhao, a former postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University whose work involved biomaterials and drug delivery systems. The foundation said Zhao later returned to China to take a postdoctoral role under Zhejiang University’s Hundred Talents Program, placing U.S.-developed expertise within a Chinese system designed to absorb and operationalize foreign research. Zhao’s public academic profiles show recent affiliation with Cornell before his move back to China, and Zhejiang University now lists him as a Hundred Talents researcher.

The report also cited Peihao Geng, a researcher previously associated with Penn State and Los Alamos-linked projects, who later became affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. According to the report, Geng served as an overseas project leader for China’s Chunhui Program and worked on research involving machine learning and materials science that received U.S. federal funding. Congressional and intelligence officials have repeatedly warned that Shanghai Jiao Tong University has played a role in China’s military modernization and intelligence efforts.

Another case involved Zebin Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose prior work received support from the Thousand Talents Program and other Chinese government entities. The foundation argued that Li’s ongoing research in advanced manufacturing and materials science, funded in part by U.S. agencies, raised serious concerns given his past participation in CCP talent programs.

The report further highlighted Ge Chen, a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University, whose mentor previously led China’s Recruitment Program of Global Experts—another name used for the Thousand Talents Program, according to U.S. Senate investigators. Chen’s academic background includes institutions in China that congressional reports have linked to defense and military research.

Broader implications

U.S. government agencies have repeatedly warned about the risks posed by foreign talent recruitment programs. The Pentagon maintains a public “red flag” list of foreign talent initiatives that threaten U.S. national security, explicitly naming both the Thousand Talents and Hundred Talents programs. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has likewise cautioned that these programs facilitate the transfer of sensitive expertise back to China.

In comments to Just the News, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has prioritized countering CCP threats and has taken “swift action,” though it remains unclear how far federal enforcement efforts will extend into higher education.

The findings add to a growing debate over academic openness versus national security, as lawmakers weigh how to protect American research institutions from foreign exploitation while preserving legitimate international collaboration.