A life science professor has been sacked from the prestigious Tongji University in Shanghai after a forgery was found on his academic record.

Zhou Zuyi, deputy rector of the university, told this week that Yang Jie, former director of the Life Science and Technology Institute, was removed from his post due to his inability to carry out his role, not just for his suspect academicbackground.

Yang, who obtained a doctorate in biochemistry from Tohuku University of Japan in 1998, was found to have forged the graduation year to 1993 on the resume he presented to Tongji.

The forgery made his post-doctorate from Emory University in the United States suspicious. The study was said to be between 1993 and 1996 on the resume.

Yang distinguished himself from 13 contestants for Tongji's life science post in 2003 by being the author of a famous cell thesis carried by the Science magazine in 1998 and his experience at Colorado University Cancer Center.

Although it has removed Yang from his post, the university has retained his teaching title.

Only a month earlier, China's top-notch university of Tsinghua dismissed professor Liu Hui for faking academic achievement and work experience.

The scandals have aroused public concern about the supervision of academic discipline in higher-learning institutes.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2006)