University of Alberta Professor Wang Zhixiang & his wife are charged criminally

阿尔伯达大学（University of Alberta）华裔教授王智翔（Zhixiang Wang）和妻子陈信梅（Xinmei Chen）

A prominent University of Alberta researcher and his wife are facing charges related to the alleged sexual assault and confinement of a minor, the Edmonton Journal has learned.

Zhixiang Wang, 51, is facing one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual contact with a child for offences allegedly carried out between Nov. 2009 and May 31, 2010, court records show."

His wife, Xinmei Chen, 49, is charged with one count of unlawful confinement of a child between May 31, 2010 and Jan. 29, 2013, the records show.

The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.

Both were arrested at Edmonton police headquarters and charged on Feb. 14, police spokesman Scott Pattison said in an email. There are no other potential victims, he added.

Wang, an associate professor in the university’s department of medical genetics, was named a senior heritage scholar in 2000 by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.

According to an article about Wang in the foundation’s fall 2003 issue, Wang joined the U of A in 1999. He had been studying cell biolog of locusts, but according to the article, made the switch to medical-related research in 1994 while pursuing post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto.

At the time, the article says, Wang’s research focused on a protein found in most body fluids that, in high levels, can lead to the development of breast cancer.

He has numerous academic publications to his name, including several authored with Chen, who is listed on the U of A website as a technician working in Wang’s lab.

Wang’s cancer research is considered among the most promising in Canada. In 2005, he was awarded a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society worth more than $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.

U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.

The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.

“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said.

Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.

Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.

阿尔伯达大学（University of Alberta）1名知名华裔研究员和他的妻子涉嫌性侵犯及禁锢未成年少女，警方控告他们多项罪名。法庭文件显示，51岁男子王智翔（Zhixiang Wang）涉嫌在2009年11月到2010年5月31日期间侵犯未成女少女，被控一项性侵犯﹑一项性接触儿童罪名。

　　根据法庭文件，王智翔的妻子陈信梅（Xinmei Chen，音译）涉嫌在2010年5月31日到2013年1月29日期间禁锢儿童，被控一项非法禁锢孩童罪名。两宗案件涉及同一个少女，受害人不足16岁。

　　警方发言人帕蒂森（Scott Pattison）说，两名被告在爱蒙顿警察总部被捕，警方在2月14日检控他们。警方相信，两宗案件没有其他受害人。 两人目前在押，定于3月13日出庭应讯。

　　王智翔来自中国，他在中国修读生物及动物学，在1999年离开多伦多大学，加入爱蒙顿的阿尔伯达大学后，一直研究医学遗传学。他是阿尔伯达大学医学遗传学副教授，在2000年获颁阿尔伯达医学研究传统基金会资深传统学者。基金会刊物在2003秋天发表文章，介绍王智翔，指他在1999年加入阿尔伯达大学，本来研究蝗虫细胞生物学，但在多伦多大学修读期间，在1994年开始研究医学，探讨人类体液高蛋白质脓度与乳癌的关联。 他发表不少学术论文，包括他与妻子合撰的报告。 在加拿大学术界，王智翔的研究颇有地位。2005年，加拿大乳癌基金会（Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation）颁发超过35万元研究补助金给他。

　　49岁的陈信梅也是阿尔伯达大学研究员，大学网页介绍她，说她是王智翔实验室的技术员。 媒体向阿尔伯达大学查询此事，校方只说，王智翔和陈信梅目前休假。