A former Harvard University professor imprisoned in the United States has resurfaced in China, where he now heads a large state-backed brain-computer interface research program, sparking renewed fears about global tech competitiveness and security.
Charles Lieber, a former star nanotechnology researcher at Harvard University, has opened a new lab in Shenzhen to work on putting electrical devices inside the human brain. The research comes as China increases its investment in advanced neurotechnology, an area that has both medical and military uses.
Lieber was convicted in 2021 of tax violations and lying about his links to a Chinese talent recruitment initiative. He spent a short prison sentence and house confinement and then moved to China.
Now 67, he is a key player in China’s state-funded i-BRAIN programme under the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART). His new lab reportedly has access to modern nanofabrication techniques and primate research facilities, resources he did not previously have access to in the United States.
The research concerns brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that scientists think could revolutionize treatment for neurological disorders such as paralysis and ALS. But the same technology has come under fire due of its possible military applications, such as improving cognitive function in soldiers.
Lieber’s decision illustrates the larger issues confronting U.S. attempts to rein in the flow of sensitive technologies, analysts say. His ability to develop a first-rate research enterprise abroad, even as he faces legal prosecution, illustrates what some experts say are holes in enforcement and the global race for science.
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Brain-computer interfaces have been designated as a strategic priority in China’s long-term technology development goals, with Beijing dedicating considerable resources to research and personnel as part of a push to dominate next-generation innovation.
The development is expected to raise alarm in Washington over the flow of expertise and intellectual property, particularly in areas where civilian research can have dual-use military applications.
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