I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 92 Richard's True Status (8K long chapter, please vote and subscribe)

The review committee members frowned slightly as they looked at the list of personnel in the project.

PI is Edgar, a PhD student.

There's also Daniel, a PhD, a Princeton alumnus who has already graduated, a resident at Queens Hospital, and a well-known socialite on campus; many people know him.

Laboratory technician position is pending; current PhD students are welcome to apply.

That's all fine.

But what's up with this Richard?

A middle school student?

Everyone knows that some professors will deliberately let certain people publish papers without permission.

But isn't it a bit much for a middle school student like you to start freeloading?

Professor Nathan Becker said thoughtfully, "It's inappropriate to involve so many people in such a small project. Let's delete it, let's remove this high school student."

Caldersen's heart sank the moment he opened his mouth.

Oh no! We messed up!

He hadn't originally intended to remove Richard; he knew Richard's place in Christina's heart, but the other professors didn't.

He couldn't possibly bring up the embarrassing incident at the school that night.

He had only spoken with a few professors beforehand, wanting to adjust the personnel for the project and change the PI, but he didn't expect that the others would act so arbitrarily and want to replace someone he hadn't thought of.

Calderson was about to speak up and find a reason for Richard's actions.

Another professor, who had coordinated with Calderson, chimed in, "I also think it's not quite right. A high school student, only in eleventh grade, let's switch to a smaller project. I have a $2 preliminary research project here, which should be more suitable."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Those who can access Professor Shepard's papers must have connections; it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse them anything.

Julian's expression changed.

Richard couldn't do much in this project, but Christina had specifically put him in there!

"No! Richard must be on the project!" Julian immediately said.

However, he couldn't think of a better excuse for Richard at the moment.

Why are you Ivy League professors eyeing a spot for a high school student?

The crowd was puzzled, wondering why Julian would argue over a high school student.

Could this Richard be Julian's descendant? A professor named Wyatt Hall glanced at Julian and pondered to himself.

He had a falling out with Julian in his early years due to academic disputes.

Caldersen quickly changed the subject: "The PI is only a PhD, which is somewhat insufficient. I suggest that a postdoctoral researcher be assigned to lead this project to ensure greater rigor."

Wyatt added, "High school students aren't suitable either, let's remove them. The project is very simple, I think we can start writing review comments."

After saying that, he gave Caldersen a friendly smile.

Caldersen's face darkened. Why did you bring this up again!

Unaware of what the two were thinking, the others began writing their review comments.

"This is inappropriate!" Julian's expression changed.

No one cares about him.

He had only held tenure for a few years and felt powerless in front of a group of senior professors, feeling somewhat helpless about his current situation.

He could only quickly message Christina: "They want to replace PI with Dominic and get rid of Richard. I can't stop them."

Daniel took Dominic to Edgar, and after chatting for a while, they brought up the project: "Professor Calderson has a project worth around $30 that would be more helpful to you. Dominic wants to work on the anti-aging project."

Edgar's face darkened. "Dominic?"

He was almost in tears. How easy is it for a junior PhD like him to become a first author?

This is a project worth millions.

This is a paper that can be recommended for publication in CNS (Chinese Journal of Nature and Science). Even if it's just Short Communications or Letters, it's still CNS!

Now it's going to become a small project worth 30?

Upon hearing this, no one said anything.

Dominic was Dean Calderson's student, and everyone knew they had a close relationship.

Edgar was just a nobody; nobody would stand up for him.

Richard put down his pen, looked up at Dominic, and Dominic, somewhat timidly, greeted him with a forced smile: "Richard."

Richard looked away and said to Edgar, "Don't worry, you're PI, no one else can take you away."

Dominic's expression was a little off; he didn't understand why Richard was standing up for Edgar.

"How can I be at ease?" Edgar said with a mournful face.

Daniel, worried that Richard might offend Calderson, quickly hinted, "Richard, Dr. Dominic is Calderson's student, and this project is very important to him."

Richard replied directly, "What does it matter to me if it's important to him?"

I hate academic hotheads the most! Daniel's cheek twitched slightly, and he whispered a hint: "Calderson is the dean, the dean of Princeton's College of Arts and Sciences."

"What's wrong with the Dean?" Richard didn't care about offending Calderson.

That old man, Deng, had already fallen out with him, and now he's trying to steal the project.

Oh, they stole Edgar's project.

Edgar won't do either!

Edgar was my choice.

Dominic smiled cautiously; he hadn't expected to run into Richard here and was already starting to feel like backing away.

Daniel couldn't understand where Richard got his confidence from. Even if you're the professor's student, you should still consider Calderson's feelings, right?

The dean didn't get the position for nothing.

Fearing that Richard might offend someone, he could only take Dominic to Christina.

As Edgar was getting worried, Richard calmly said, "Let's go take a look."

The two followed Christina into her room.

"Dominic wants a first edition?" Christina pondered.

It's not a good idea for Edgar to offend Calderson. I'm not afraid, but Edgar might be in trouble in the future.

She's not stupid; she's just too lazy to think about interpersonal issues most of the time.

Moreover, upon closer examination, Calderson did not treat Edgar unfairly.

"Being the first author of the $30 project and gaining Dean Calderson's favor might help you get a teaching position at the academy in the future—" Christina whispered to Edgar.

To her, Edgar was a good student, but he wasn't Richard, and he wasn't worth the huge cost in terms of personal connections and reputation that she would spare no effort to promote.

Calderson is, after all, the dean, so we have to give him some face.

Christina considers herself to be quite easy to get along with.

Edgar was also caught in a dilemma.

Honestly, he doesn't want to change; who can predict what will happen in the future?

This paper, however, is genuinely substantial.

Daniel looked at Christina.

Dominic didn't dare to speak in front of Christina when he suddenly received a message from Calderson: "The project is done. Edgar is off the job, and you're next."

Dominic's face immediately lit up with uncontrollable joy.

Edgar carefully chose his words, saying cautiously, "Mentor..."

'

Just then, Christina's phone rang. When she opened it, she saw a message from Julian.

"They want to replace Pi with Dominic and get rid of Richard. I couldn't stop them." She quickly scanned the screen, then snapped it off and stated bluntly, "I disagree with this!"

"What? You disagree?" Dominic was stunned. You just said that!

He blurted out, "But the review committee has already passed the resolution."

"OK!" Christina stood up, put on her coat, and said coldly, "A resolution? I'm a member of the Standing Committee. If I say it's not over, it's not over. Since when have people been able to interfere with my projects?"

The people of Dominica were completely bewildered.

No, that's not what you just said!

You were able to have a good chat just now.

How could you change your mind so quickly!

Just because of Richard!

Alaric said worriedly, "Christina, the jury always follows the principle of majority rule, this is going to be difficult."

Christina said nothing, only to Richard, "I'll be right back."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Dominic stood frozen in place for a moment, then turned and left without saying a word.

What's the point of throwing a tantrum when the decision has already been made?

The Standing Committee members do not have the power to force the approval of projects.

Dominic was both excited and worried; if he offended Christina, things might not go well for him in the future.

Daniel scratched his head, suddenly realizing that he seemed to have made a mistake.

Christina's attitude towards Richard was far more extreme than that towards ordinary people.

Daniel quickly said, "This—Dominic is really outrageous. How could he touch his mentor's project?"

Richard glanced at him and chuckled.

Daniel was speechless.

What's going on?

Others also quietly distanced themselves from him.

Daniel finally realized something was wrong.

In his view, the deal wasn't entirely off-limits.

Why are you treating me like this?

Daniel hurried to find Evelyn Shaw.

After listening, Evelyn sighed and said only one sentence: "Daniel, he is Christina's personally chosen academic successor, I mean Richard."

A high school student, an academic successor? Daniel was dumbfounded.

Fk!

Damn Dominic!

You've really screwed me over!

Daniel was incredibly flexible and immediately decided to go find Richard.

Brother, I was wrong!

boom!

The door to the review office was pushed open.

The judges were startled, and their expressions changed slightly when they saw Christina walking in wearing a trench coat.

Why is she here!

Doesn't she never attend the review meetings?

What happened?

Could it be a problem with that project?

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Julian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up: "Professor Shepard."

Christina nodded and sat down in Julian's seat with a blank expression.

The corner seat in the first row.

Julian didn't dare sit next to Christina, so he went to sit in the second row.

The professors and judges in the first row began to feel uncomfortable, as if the seats beneath them were burning their bottoms.

Calderson's heart began to race; he felt as if he had done something wrong.

Christina calmly asked, "Which projects are being reviewed today? Something came up in the lab earlier, so I couldn't come over."

You never even come here! As the judge, Calderson could only say, "There are 13 projects in total, two have already passed, and there are 11 left."

Christina glanced at the review decision for the skin anti-aging project and, as expected, made adjustments, requesting that Dr. Edgar be replaced by a postdoctoral fellow, and Richard was removed.

She placed the file on the table expressionlessly: "Let's begin."

Everyone looked at each other, clearly something was wrong with Christina.

Fortunately, Christina did not break the rules or demand a re-evaluation of the skin anti-aging program, which shows that she is still willing to abide by the rules.

Although Christina was a standing committee member, she did not have the power to force the passage of projects.

As long as they're willing to play within the rules... Caldersen took a deep breath.

The anti-aging skin treatment is over, and the matter is settled. I'll just compensate Edgar a little more later, and then find a private occasion to formally apologize to Christina.

This time, I've lost out a bit for a project worth millions.

Lost in thought, Caldersen began the next project.

The third project is AI-enabled single-cell spatial immune mapping analysis for precise tracing of the host's drug resistance microenvironment. The project has a total funding of US$118 million, a two-year duration, and is a high-potential, interdisciplinary basic biomedical innovation project supported by the university, aligning with Princeton's cutting-edge interdisciplinary research strategy. The main research objectives are as follows...

""

'

That's about it for now. Let's start the discussion.

After the presentation, the judges began to look down at the presentation materials.

Christina tapped the table and said directly, "This project is unacceptable. Send it back for review."

Everyone was stunned.

What?

Should it be sent back for retrial?

Everyone looked at Professor Bird-Cress in the front row; he was the one who had helped his students apply for this project.

Bird-Cress looked grim.

What is this going to do?

What does it have to do with me that your project has been adjusted?

Go find Calderson!

Bird, not daring to offend Christina, could only try to explain, "Dr. Shepard, I can explain the background of this project; I think it's quite good..."

""

"Currently, a core bottleneck exists in the global field of anti-infective therapy and clinical immune intervention: traditional buIk sequencing and single-microscopic observation techniques cannot accurately capture the real-time mechanisms of immune cell interactions, microbial responses, and dynamic evolution of the tissue microenvironment at the single-cell scale..."

'

Christina listened quietly, then said, "I don't think the project will work."

Bird's face turned completely ugly.

What's going on here?

Are you targeting me?

When did I offend you again?

But he had absolutely no way to solve it.

Christina's position is too high. Although she does not have the authority to force a project through, her status gives her almost veto power.

She said she wanted to send the project back for review, then you'd better send it back for review.

If anyone dares to push through the project and anger Christina, she might really take the time to find fault, and that would be a real problem.

Just think about it, if she were a reviewer for that journal when the project was being published, she would definitely not pass without a doubt.

If the paper is published by sheer luck, it will be targeted and attacked by a Nobel laureate...

Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

Who can guarantee that their thesis is completely problem-free?

Even if this paper doesn't exist, are all your other previously published papers without any issues?

If Christina patiently searches for loopholes...

Ultimately, this could easily escalate into a disaster for academic reputation.

"Don't waste time, let's vote by raising hands," Christina said bluntly. "I object."

The group exchanged glances, but no one dared to raise their hand in agreement.

To offend Christina for someone else's project? Are you crazy?

No one knows exactly what Bird did to offend Christina, but they will never take the blame for Bird.

Only Bird, holding his breath, raised his hand in agreement. He looked coldly at Christina, but his mind was racing, trying to recall: What did I do to offend her?

Calderson felt a sliver of hope.

Did Christina come here either for the anti-aging skin project or to veto Bird's project?

Did they have a conflict?

Calderson was extremely uneasy and could only try his best to reassure himself.

Hmph, Christina, I don't know what kind of evil fire you have, what's the point of you rejecting Bird's project?

People will only vent their anger on you.

Hmph, you're a genius when it comes to research, but you're a complete novice when it comes to politics!

"One vote in favor, eight votes against. Let's go back and refine the project." Calderson continued reading the next item.

"Based on multi-omics molecular tracing and individual microenvironment feature decoding research on trace biodegradation traces, a novel trace molecule extraction and feature tracing system will be established for biological samples that are highly degraded, extremely low in abundance, and severely contaminated."

""

Everyone looked down at the materials.

Christina tapped the table again and calmly said, "Send this project back for review."

Professor Herard was stunned.

He applied for this project himself, and he has a very good relationship with Christina.

The two have been friends for many years and have collaborated on several projects.

Gerard was somewhat embarrassed: "Christina, what's wrong?"

He glanced at Christina's eyes and immediately knew that she was there to cause trouble.

He knew Christina's personality all too well, and immediately said, "OK, no problem. I'll review this project again."

Everyone was stunned.

Another project has been rejected?

Was Christina really here to cause trouble?

Calderson had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.

"Next, precise early warning of postoperative cognitive impairment in the elderly. Addressing the challenges of high incidence, poor reversibility, and lack of early warning in elderly patients after surgery, we will explore and validate a non-invasive peripheral blood immunometabolic fingerprinting system..."

'

Christina tapped the table: "Send it back for retrial."

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Nathan Becker's lips twitched. This was an application from his student, but he immediately said, "Okay, I'll have the student go back and design it more carefully."

Bird's complexion returned to normal.

He finally realized that Christina was there to cause trouble.

She wasn't targeting herself; she just wanted all the projects to be reviewed again!

As long as it's not targeted at him, there's no problem.

It would be shameful for me to be rejected by the only one.

If everyone else is rejected, then it's not my problem.

So, whose problem is it?

It can't be Christina's fault, can it?

Everyone glanced at Calderson discreetly.

Calderson was panicking inside, but he had to maintain a serious demeanor on the surface.

Why are you all looking at me?

What does this have to do with me?

She rejected it; go find her!

Christina glanced at Calderson: "Next project, let's hurry up, everyone's time is very precious."

Caldersen was also a little angry. "I don't believe you dare to veto all the projects."

He then read out the fourth item.

Christina tapped the table: "Send it back for retrial."

The fifth item: "Send it back for re-examination."

The sixth: "Send it back for retrial."

Calderson's fingers trembled as he put down the project list.

If you do this, how are we supposed to hold this meeting?

Everyone was starting to lose their composure.

Please, stop using your supernatural powers!

But Christina has made up her mind today, and no one can withstand that.

She is a reviewer for two Nobel Prizes, a judge for top journals, and a member of various committees.

If she wanted to cause trouble, no one could withstand it; no one's papers would be published, and no one's project applications would be approved.

Caldersen was just a dean; his academic level was actually quite average, and he couldn't handle the job at all.

Calderson gritted his teeth; it would be too embarrassing to bow his head now.

I will never admit defeat!

"Professor Shepard, the first project review is over, what are you doing?"

Christina said calmly, "I didn't comment on the first project; I was only talking about the later topics."

Pointing to the list of projects, she said, "AI-enabled single-cell spatial immune map analysis—the core highlight of this project is AI fitting, but the new biological mechanism is unclear. The model can run even with different datasets, but what is the core biological discovery? This is a biomedical project, not a computer science or AI project."

At this moment, Professor Bird suddenly spoke up: "Yes, Professor Shepard makes a good point. I will reconsider this project."

Fk! Caldersen was speechless.

He looked at Bird incredulously. She was saying your project was unreliable! You're usually so assertive, aren't you?

Bird glanced at Calderson.

He was already regretting his earlier intervention.

Everyone else just accepts defeat, but you, Bird, jump out and stand up to Christina. What do you mean by that?

If Christina sets her sights on us, will we still be able to proceed with the project?

Should the paper still be published?

Bird quickly stepped forward to acknowledge that his project did indeed have problems, essentially saying: Christina, don't blame me.

What's more important than saving face? The future is far more important.

"However, the project itself is still very innovative." Christina smiled and nodded, and Bird felt relieved.

Christina continued, "Next, regarding the multi-omics molecular tracing of trace biodegradation, are natural degradation, microbial contamination, temperature and humidity, and exogenous impurities chaotic random variables? How do you prove that your characteristic signal is not contamination noise?"

"Postoperative early warning in the elderly: The project measures [preoperative immune and metabolic differences], which can only prove a correlation. Correlation does not equate to causation. In addition, elderly patients often have multiple underlying diseases, complex medications, and significant differences in diet and lifestyle. How can we rule out confounding factors...?"

'

Gerard and Nathan quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes!"

"There's no problem; it's that we weren't careful enough in our thinking."

"Let's move on to the next project, don't waste time."

The fun now has turned into watching Calderson make a fool of himself, wondering who will take the fall for him.

Moreover, Christina provided reasonable explanations for vetoing each project; you can't say she was disruptive, you can only say she was strict.

What's wrong with being rigorous in scientific research?

"A bunch of cowards!" Calderson gritted his teeth. "The seventh project..."

""

He finished reading the introduction.

Everyone looked at Christina.

Christina didn't say anything.

What does that mean?

She also felt it was time to stop?

Calderson felt a glimmer of hope.

I knew you wouldn't dare offend all the professors!

Christina picked up the cup, took a sip of water, and then calmly put it down before saying, "Send it back for retrial."

Calderson's heart was completely dead.

For the tenth project, the eleventh project, and all the way to the last project, Christina treated them all equally, sending them all back for re-examination.

Calderson finally snapped: "You're messing around!"

Christina calmly replied, "I am diligently fulfilling my duties as a standing committee member. I have offered reasonable suggestions for revisions to each project, and the professors have all agreed to them. If Professor Calderson is dissatisfied and feels that I am being unreasonable, he can report me to the board of directors and have me removed from the board."

"In addition, I need to reflect on my past actions. I am still a permanent member of the Princeton IRB Ethics Committee. I have been somewhat negligent in my work in the past, and I have missed many review meetings. From now on, I will attend all the meetings and review all projects across the university with seriousness."

At this point, Calderson completely lost his composure.

Today's meeting only covers topics in the biomedical field within the college, and Christina only has the authority to speak on these areas.

However, the IRB Ethics Committee is different; it is responsible for reviewing all projects across the university, and any project must pass through this committee.

Of course, in most cases, the ethics committee is just a formality.

However, judging from Christina's attitude today, she clearly intends to throw the whole school into chaos.

The room fell silent.

If Christina causes trouble at the IRB even once, the principal will jump up in anger.

Calderson looked extremely grim, but he was truly helpless.

To reiterate, when the principal and the board of directors face the difficult choice between Calderson and Christina, any hesitation, even for a second, is a disrespect to their positions.

The room fell silent, and everyone looked at Calderson.

Calderson felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive, and the room that used to make him feel relaxed and comfortable was now so stifling.

It's too cramped; there's no air circulation!

He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "I think we were a bit hasty in reviewing the first anti-aging project. Should we review it again?"

Christina remained unresponsive.

No one spoke.

Calderson could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger: "I think the first project is excellent, and the staffing is also fine."

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes!"

"very good!"

"The staffing is very well-balanced!"

Everyone then looked at Christina.

Christina tapped the table again.

Calderson's heart raced again.

Fk! You can't be serious?

You even kill your own projects?

Is this guy really crazy?

Christina coughed lightly twice: "Yes, I also think this project is very suitable."

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness.

Calderson broke out in a cold sweat; thankfully, he hadn't completely lost his mind.

"The resolution passes unanimously. Let's write it down."

The secretary quickly threw the previous resolution into the shredder and delivered the new resolution.

After Christina finished signing, she stood up and said to Julian, "Julian, I need to trouble you for a bit. I suddenly remembered that there are still some problems in the lab that haven't been resolved, so I'll head back now."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The group exchanged glances. "You're not hiding anything at all. You don't even bother to look at the rest of the program."

Christina left, and Calderson remained silent for a long time before giving himself a way out: "Since the first project was reviewed again, let's review all the projects again. That's the only fair way."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, everyone's project was saved.

As for how embarrassing Calderson was, nobody cared at all.

You chose it yourself, Dean.

Christina returned to the cell laboratory, and everyone looked at her.

Edgar felt uneasy: "Mentor? Project..."

'

Christina simply said, "Keep it as it is. The project has been approved. Just do your job well."

Edgar was overjoyed.

Everyone was shocked and had no idea how Christina had done it.

But she said nothing and went straight back to her office to continue working.

Dominic was incredulous. He had already made a decision, so why did it change again?

He not only failed to secure the project this time, but also offended Christina, Edgar, and Richard.

Losing big!

He didn't dare say a word, and slunk away to go and ask Calderson for advice.

About half an hour later, Julian returned to the lab.

When Julian finally returned, everyone surrounded him: "Professor Julian, what exactly happened?"

Julian, feeling refreshed and smug, recounted Christina's actions at the judging panel.

Everyone exclaimed in amazement, "Dr. Shepard is so domineering!"

"It has to be our Professor Shepard!"

"The dean is outrageous!"

Edgar finally let go of all his worries and stood aside, grinning foolishly.

Daniel was completely dumbfounded.

He's not stupid; of course he knows who Christina is angry about. It can't be because of Edgar, that monkey, can it?

Only for the sake of the academic successor, Richard!

He heard it clearly in the office: Christina was saying to Edgar, "Why don't you reconsider?" But when she heard that it would affect Richard's second work, she immediately jumped up and rejected all the projects!

That's so unreasonable!

That's so awesome!

Is this MF (Master of Science) academic successor?

This is the treatment a biological son receives!

Richard, however, did not comment on this.

Without Christina's arrogance and toughness, how could she have controlled the cell laboratory for decades?

Do you really think no one is envious of a lab that invests as much as $10 billion a year?

Alaric laughed, "Incompetent professor."

"Who are you talking about?!" Julian glared, then explained in a pitiful tone, "How can I compare to Nobel laureates? How can I compare to a Nobel laureate whose students are also Nobel laureates? You try it if you dare!"

As a new professor, facing school committee members, board members, and a group of senior professors in their fifties and sixties, how easy is it for me!

The group started chatting again, praising Christina's ferocity, teasing Calderson for his indecisiveness, and criticizing Julian for his incompetence.

While everyone else was still laughing and joking, Daniel knew he had made a mistake and needed to make amends quickly. He found Edgar and said, "Edgar, I heard you were the one who brought Richard to the lab? Tell me about him."

Edgar was in a great mood and rambled on for a while: "Richard, he's currently studying at Francis Lewis High School and living with a host family named Catherine."

Yes, Catherine, do you remember her? Her daughter's name is Debbie. She was in the news about the Starling Saint a while back. Richard's family situation probably isn't good. He works part-time at OCME, and I think he also worked at Nancy Health Center before that; I heard he even collected corpses.

Daniel jotted down the key points, his eyes darting around as he pondered how to curry favor with Richard.

After the crowd dispersed, Daniel cautiously approached Richard and said bluntly, "Richard, I made a big mistake."

Richard glanced at Daniel in surprise. This guy was really willing to lower himself. But one can't hit a smiling face, so he smiled and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

19

Daniel immediately pointed to the project list: "I didn't think this through regarding second authorship—it's better if you're listed first. After all, you need to be involved in research in the lab, and I'm already working; I simply don't have the time. In terms of contribution, you're definitely better than me. I was too careless when I drafted the list."

He finally figured out whose boots he should be sucking up to here.

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