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Former Harvard Scientist Charles Lieber Now Leads China’s State-Backed Brain-Interface Program

The move underscores China’s drive to commercialize neurotechnology with potential civilian and military uses.

Charles Lieber leaves federal court after he and two Chinese nationals were charged with lying about their alleged links to the Chinese government, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Katherine Taylor/File Photo
An office building housing the Institute for Brain Research Advanced Interfaces and Neurotechnologies (i-BRAIN), part of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), at Weiguang Life Science Park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/David Kirton
The entrance to the Institute for Brain Research Advanced Interfaces and Neurotechnologies (i-BRAIN), which is part of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/David Kirton

Overview

  • Charles Lieber, 67, was convicted in the United States in 2021 for lying about payments from China and received a short sentence with house arrest and fines.
  • Lieber is leading the i-BRAIN initiative in Shenzhen and is directing research from a lab inside the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation.
  • The lab has advanced nanofabrication tools and is developing non-invasive systems that read brain activity to let people control computers or devices.
  • Chinese teams are running trials that aim to restore movement for people with paralysis and to test broader human–machine interactions in daily tasks.
  • U.S. officials warn the technology is dual-use, and the Pentagon has noted Chinese military researchers have explored brain interfaces to boost soldiers’ cognitive performance.