A famous scientist mysteriously disappeared: the university where he worked removed information about him from its website

Xiaofeng Wang, a computer science professor at Indiana University, has disappeared along with his wife. Their profiles on the school's website were removed before the recent FBI raids, the newspaper writes. Wired.

Photo: Vadim Rodnev | Dreamstime.com

A renowned computer scientist who has spent 20 years working in cryptography, data protection, and cybersecurity has gone dark. His profile, email, and phone number have been removed by his employer, Indiana University, and his home has been raided by the FBI. The reasons for this are unknown.

Xiaofeng Wang has an impressive list of honors. He was associate dean for research at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Computer Science and Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He held a tenure-track appointment at Indiana University Bloomington. During his 21 years there, he served as principal investigator on projects totaling nearly $23 million, according to the university.

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In addition, he has co-authored numerous scientific papers in various research areas, including cryptography, systems security and data protection, and human genomic data protection.

In recent weeks, Wang’s email account, phone number, and profile on the Laddie School website were deleted by his employer without explanation. Around the same time, Indiana University also deleted the profile of his wife, Nianli Ma, who was listed as a lead systems analyst and programmer in the university’s library technology department.

According to local media, several cars with government agents pulled up to Wang and Ma's Bloomington home on March 28. They spent most of the day in the house, occasionally moving boxes into the cars. WTHR reported that a second home owned by Wang and Ma in Carmel, Indiana, was also searched. According to the channel, one of the residents and his lawyer were present during the search.

Attempts to reach Wang and Ma were unsuccessful. An Indiana University spokesperson did not respond to emailed questions about whether the couple remained university employees or why their profiles, email addresses, and phone numbers were removed. He did provide contact information for an FBI spokeswoman in Indianapolis. In response to a request for comment, she wrote, “The FBI conducted court-ordered investigative actions at homes in Bloomington and Carmel on Friday. No further comment at this time.”

A search of federal court databases yielded no results related to Wang, Ma, or the searches of their homes. An FBI spokesman did not respond to questions about which U.S. district court issued the warrant, when it was issued, or whether Wang or Ma were being held. The Justice Department did not respond to an email asking for the same information. An email sent to Wang’s personal email address went unanswered. It is currently unknown whether Wang and Ma are U.S. citizens or green card holders.

Fellow researchers expressed their concerns about what was happening on social media.

“None of this is normal,” wrote Matthew Green, a professor of cryptography at Johns Hopkins University, in Mastodon. He went on to note, “Has anyone been able to contact him? I heard he’s been missing for two weeks and students have been unable to reach him. How could something like this go unnoticed for two weeks?”

Matt Blaze, a professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University, said: “It’s hard to imagine why the university would remove his profile from the site as if he had never worked there. It takes more than a day to fire a tenured professor.”

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WTHR reported the following details of the search of the Carmel home:

• Neighbors said the agents shouted through a megaphone: "FBI, come out!"
• The woman left her home holding her phone. Video footage taken by a neighbor showed one of the agents taking the phone from her. She was then questioned in her driveway, after which agents searched the home, collected evidence, and took photographs.
• One of the cars was moved slightly out of the garage to allow investigators access to the attic.
• The woman left the house before the 13News crew arrived. She returned in the afternoon, accompanied by a lawyer. About a few minutes later, the 10 agents left the scene.

The investigators were in the house for about four hours, after which they left with several boxes of evidence. A 13News correspondent rang the doorbell after they left. The family's lawyer, who answered the door, said he did not yet know what the investigation was about.

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