A congressional investigation has revealed serious allegations against renowned geologist Wendy Mao, implicating her in facilitating advances in China’s nuclear and hypersonic weapons programs while working within the U.S. research framework. The findings are documented in a comprehensive 120-page report released by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Mao, 49, who serves as the Chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University, has been a prominent figure in materials science. Her pioneering research on the behavior of diamonds under extreme pressure has been integral to NASA’s development of materials for space missions. Despite her accolades and contributions to American science, the investigation raises significant concerns about her affiliations with Chinese institutions linked to military applications.
According to the report, Mao’s federally funded research over the past decade has become intertwined with China’s military and nuclear weapons sectors. The investigation claims that she operated under a “clear conflict of interest” by maintaining dual affiliations with both U.S. research institutions and organizations within China’s defense apparatus, including the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), which is central to the country’s nuclear weapons research.
The report explicitly states that Mao conducted research funded by the Department of Energy and NASA while simultaneously collaborating with HPSTAR, a high-pressure research institute directed by her father, Ho-Kwang Mao. The implications of her work are particularly troubling, as it reportedly supports China’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Investigators found that she co-authored numerous scientific papers with Chinese researchers connected to defense-linked entities, focusing on areas such as hypersonics and aerospace propulsion, which have clear military applications.
One specific paper, backed by NASA, has drawn scrutiny for potentially violating the Wolf Amendment, a federal law that prohibits NASA from engaging in collaborations with Chinese entities without an FBI-certified waiver. The report underscores systemic failures within the oversight frameworks of the Department of Energy and NASA, asserting that these vulnerabilities have allowed American taxpayer-funded research to contribute to advancements in China’s military capabilities.
Amid these allegations, Mao’s professional background paints a picture of success. She lives in a $3.5 million home in Los Altos, California, with her husband, Benson Leung, a Google engineer, and has established herself as a trailblazer for Asian American women in the scientific community. Nevertheless, the shadows cast by the recent revelations are profound.
In response to the allegations, Stanford University has stated it is reviewing the situation but downplayed Mao’s connections to Beijing. University spokeswoman Luisa Rapport asserted that Mao is an expert in high-pressure science and emphasized that she has not worked directly on nuclear technology. Rapport mentioned that Mao has claimed no formal affiliations with HPSTAR since 2012.
The report’s findings have significant implications for national security. John Moolenaar, a Republican Congressman from Michigan and chair of the China select committee, described the revelations as “deeply alarming.” He emphasized that the Department of Energy failed to secure its research and inadvertently funded the military advancements of a primary U.S. adversary. Moolenaar has since introduced legislation aimed at preventing federal research funding from supporting collaborations with entities controlled by foreign adversaries.
The investigation identified over 4,300 academic papers published between June 2023 and June 2025 that involved collaborations between Department of Energy-funded scientists and Chinese researchers, with roughly half linked to military or defense institutions. This finding has reignited discussions around the balance between open scientific collaboration and national security.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has dismissed the allegations, accusing U.S. politicians of politicizing national security to hinder scientific exchanges. Spokesperson Liu Pengyu stated that the claims lack credibility and represent an overreach in the interpretation of national security.
As the scrutiny intensifies, the case of Wendy Mao serves as a potent reminder of the complexities surrounding international research collaboration, particularly in a landscape marked by geopolitical tensions. The potential consequences of these affiliations underline the necessity for stringent oversight and transparency in federally funded research to safeguard national interests.
