Rutgers Professor Placed on Leave Amid Animal Abuse Allegations

Xiaobing Zhang, a newly appointed associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has been placed on paid administrative leave just days after starting his position on September 3. This decision followed serious allegations of animal mistreatment during his previous role at Florida State University (FSU).

The controversy came to light when an animal rights group sent a letter to Rutgers detailing findings from an investigation into Zhang’s lab at FSU. This inquiry revealed that he had been accused of failing to provide adequate pain relief to laboratory mice and altering records to conceal the mistreatment. Investigators reported that Zhang’s lab provided only one out of the recommended four doses of pain relief during surgical experiments on digestion.

In April, FSU took action by shutting down part of Zhang’s research project, which was funded at $413,000, and barring him and two colleagues from their lab for a year. The investigation involved operations on nearly 1,600 animals, with claims that records for 110 of these had been falsified. Additionally, Zhang was accused of not sedating mice before euthanizing them.

Upon receiving the letter from the Animal rights group on September 11, Rutgers officials took immediate action. University spokeswoman Megan Schumann confirmed that Zhang will not be involved in any research or teaching during the review of the situation. She stated that Rutgers prioritizes animal welfare and adheres to strict guidelines to ensure the ethical treatment of animals used in research.

Zhang, who has not yet commented on the allegations, previously indicated on LinkedIn that he was looking to build a research team at Rutgers, seeking various lab positions. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) had funded Zhang for four projects totaling $1.8 million, but the current status of this funding remains unclear.

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