By Emily Ask
Daniel Kwok, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Calgary, has been banned from research funding by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The Calgary Herald reported that NSERC has accused Kwok of plagiarism and financial misconduct, using up to $150,000 of government grant money on purchases unrelated to his research, such as a home entertainment system and custom car parts.
Kwok was employed at the University of Alberta before being hired by the U of C in 2005. It was during his time at the U of A that NSERC conducted the investigation. U of C spokesperson Grady Semmens said that the U of C did not know about the investigation when Kwok was hired.
“What I know is that the university was informed last fall by NSERC that they had taken some actions against one of the researchers here because of an investigation they had done,” said Semmens. “The investigation that was done by NSERC and U of A was confidential.”
Two of Kwok’s students, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he addressed their class saying the accusations weren’t true and that he was pursuing legal action. He also assured them that this would not interfere with his ability to teach the class and finish the semester, the students claimed.