What caused the disappearance of the experienced scientist?
In Indiana (USA), a renowned professor who devoted his career to research in cryptography, privacy, and systems security has mysteriously vanished. A few days before FBI raids were conducted, his profiles were removed from the university website, his work contacts were disabled, and information about his wife, who worked at the same institution, was also deleted.
The subject is Xiaofen Van—a professor with 21 years of experience at Indiana University, who held the position of Associate Dean for Research in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. He was a member of the esteemed scientific associations IEEE and AAAS and participated in projects with funding exceeding 23 million dollars. His name is associated with dozens of academic publications on data protection, including biometric and genetic data.
At the same time that Van’s and his wife Ma Nianli’s profiles were removed from the university system, federal agents conducted searches at two houses owned by them—in Bloomington and Carmel. According to local media, officers arrived in unmarked vehicles and spent several hours removing boxes from the houses and photographing the premises. In one instance, a family attorney was present at the scene.
Notably, the university has avoided commenting on the employment status of Van and Ma, while the FBI confirmed that operational activities took place but refused to disclose any details. It is not even known whether a search warrant was issued by a federal court, and if so, what kind. In an email, a representative of the agency limited his comment to “sanctioned actions” and declined further explanation.
Colleagues of the professor have expressed serious concern about the situation. Experts note that no one reported Van’s disappearance for two weeks, despite his close ties with students and the scientific community. Such a situation seems extremely anomalous. Another professor expressed bewilderment at how quickly and quietly all references to Van were removed from the university website, even though stripping a tenured professor of his title typically requires a complex legal procedure.
The raids were accompanied by standard law enforcement actions: the professor’s house was surrounded, FBI officers used loudspeakers to call out to those inside, and video footage shows a woman coming out with a phone in her hand, which was immediately confiscated. After a brief interrogation, search activities commenced. Later, the woman returned accompanied by a lawyer, after which agents left the house, taking boxes of evidence with them.
At present, it is not established whether Van and Ma have been detained, or if they are U.S. citizens. Information about the purpose of the investigation also remains classified. Journalists have sent numerous inquiries to the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies, but so far without result. The only known fact is that the professor and his wife are no longer responding through any previously available communication channels.
The story continues to raise questions: What was the cause of such swift intervention by federal authorities, why did the university so quickly distance itself from one of its key researchers, and where has the married couple disappeared to? Given the scale of the events and the restraint in official comments, this may be an investigation involving issues of national security or sensitive technologies.
o3-mini-high
In Indiana (USA), a renowned professor who devoted his career to research in cryptography, privacy, and systems security has mysteriously vanished. A few days before FBI raids were conducted, his profiles were removed from the university website, his work contacts were disabled, and information about his wife, who worked at the same institution, was also deleted.
The subject is Xiaofen Van—a professor with 21 years of experience at Indiana University, who held the position of Associate Dean for Research in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. He was a member of the esteemed scientific associations IEEE and AAAS and participated in projects with funding exceeding 23 million dollars. His name is associated with dozens of academic publications on data protection, including biometric and genetic data.
At the same time that Van’s and his wife Ma Nianli’s profiles were removed from the university system, federal agents conducted searches at two houses owned by them—in Bloomington and Carmel. According to local media, officers arrived in unmarked vehicles and spent several hours removing boxes from the houses and photographing the premises. In one instance, a family attorney was present at the scene.
Notably, the university has avoided commenting on the employment status of Van and Ma, while the FBI confirmed that operational activities took place but refused to disclose any details. It is not even known whether a search warrant was issued by a federal court, and if so, what kind. In an email, a representative of the agency limited his comment to “sanctioned actions” and declined further explanation.
Colleagues of the professor have expressed serious concern about the situation. Experts note that no one reported Van’s disappearance for two weeks, despite his close ties with students and the scientific community. Such a situation seems extremely anomalous. Another professor expressed bewilderment at how quickly and quietly all references to Van were removed from the university website, even though stripping a tenured professor of his title typically requires a complex legal procedure.
The raids were accompanied by standard law enforcement actions: the professor’s house was surrounded, FBI officers used loudspeakers to call out to those inside, and video footage shows a woman coming out with a phone in her hand, which was immediately confiscated. After a brief interrogation, search activities commenced. Later, the woman returned accompanied by a lawyer, after which agents left the house, taking boxes of evidence with them.
At present, it is not established whether Van and Ma have been detained, or if they are U.S. citizens. Information about the purpose of the investigation also remains classified. Journalists have sent numerous inquiries to the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies, but so far without result. The only known fact is that the professor and his wife are no longer responding through any previously available communication channels.
The story continues to raise questions: What was the cause of such swift intervention by federal authorities, why did the university so quickly distance itself from one of its key researchers, and where has the married couple disappeared to? Given the scale of the events and the restraint in official comments, this may be an investigation involving issues of national security or sensitive technologies.
o3-mini-high