Academic Fraud Whistleblower 'Geng Tongxue' Leads to Dismissals of Chinese University Deans

A former doctoral student known as 'Geng Tongxue' has exposed multiple cases of academic fraud in the life sciences field online. Following Tongji University's announcement of a dean's dismissal earlier this month, Nankai University and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou also announced the dismissal of deans and deputy deans yesterday, with several others facing disciplinary action. According to reports, Nankai University stated on the 30th that a dean surnamed Chen had engaged in academic misconduct, including data duplication and errors, in a 2024 paper published in Nature Cancer. Nankai University dismissed Chen from his position as Dean of the School of Life Sciences, downgraded his professional technical rank, and revoked his eligibility for promotions and research grants for 24 months. Another co-author, Professor Hu, received a formal warning. On the same day, Sun Yat-sen University announced that the investigated papers contained academic misconduct, ordering corrections or retractions. The university dismissed Kang from his position as deputy director of the key laboratory and downgraded the first author, Liao. Additionally, Kuang was dismissed as deputy dean, and the first author, Wan, had their degree conferral delayed by one year. Earlier on the 6th, Tongji University dismissed Wang from his position as Dean of the School of Life Sciences and Technology and terminated the employment of the first author, Jin. These papers were all exposed by 'Geng Tongxue,' an educational blogger on Chinese social media. His real name is Geng Hongwei, a former doctoral student at Beihang University. He dropped out in 2025 to become a full-time whistleblower and now has over 1.8 million followers. Xinhua News Agency noted on the 26th that this case has attracted significant attention due to the high status of the scholars involved and the crude nature of the data fabrication.