PITTSBURGH, Penn. (KRON) – A research assistant professor studying coronavirus at the University of Pittsburgh was killed over the weekend in an apparent murder-suicide, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
In a statement, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine confirmed 37-year-old Dr. Bing Liu had recently been working on understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie the coronavirus and was on the verge of “making very significant findings” before his death.
“Bing was on the verge of making very significant findings,” the statement read in part. “Liu was an outstanding researcher, who has earned the respect and appreciation of many colleagues in the field, and made unique contributions to science.”
Dr. Liu was killed Saturday at his home in Ross Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the Post-Gazette reports. Police say 46-year-old Hao Gu fatally shot Dr. Liu multiple times before taking his own life. The two men knew each other, according to police.
A possible motive has not been disclosed.
Dr. Liu was an expert in “computational modeling and analysis of biological systems dynamics,” according to the university.
During his career, Liu wrote more than 30 publications and authored a book on the computational modeling of biological pathways.
Before coming to the United States, Liu received two degrees in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore before conducting his postdoctoral studies at Carnegie Mellon University, officials said in the statement.
The university says they will make an effort to complete Liu’s research.
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