Tailei Qi is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing his faculty advisor, Zijie Yan, on August 28, 2023.
The shooting took place inside the Caudill Labs building on campus, where Yan was an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. Qi was arrested by the Chapel Hill police in a nearby neighborhood within two hours of the incident. The motive for the shooting is still unclear, and the weapon has not been recovered yet.
Who is Tailei Qi? (Age & Education)
Tailei Qi is a 31-year-old graduate student from Wuhan, China. He came to the United States in 2017 to pursue his doctoral degree in applied physical sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. He joined Yan’s research group in 2022 as one of his advisees. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had previously obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Wuhan University in China and worked as a research assistant at Louisiana State University.
Tailei Qi’s research interests include nanomaterials, catalysis, and energy conversion. He had co-authored several papers with Yan and other researchers on topics such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and solar cells. He has also presented his work at various conferences and symposiums.
Tailei Qi had a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, where he posted about his research, hobbies, and personal life. He seemed to enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, and music. He also expressed his opinions on various issues such as politics, religion, and culture. However, some of his posts also revealed signs of frustration, loneliness, and resentment towards his peers and advisors.
Who was Zijie Yan?
Zijie Yan was a 38-year-old associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has worked for the university since July 2019, after serving as an assistant professor at Clarkson University in New York. He earned his PhD in materials engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in 2011.
Yan was a respected and approachable professor and mentor who had expertise in nanomaterials, nanofabrication, and nanodevices. He led the Yan Research Group, which consisted of several graduate and undergraduate students working on various projects related to nanoscience and nanotechnology. He has published more than 70 papers in prestigious journals and received several awards and grants for his research.
Yan was also a loving husband and father of two young children. He was described by his colleagues and students as a “beloved” member of the UNC community who was dedicated to his work and family. He was also involved in outreach activities to promote science education and diversity.
What happened on August 28, 2023?
On August 28, 2023, around 1 p.m., UNC police received a 911 call about shots fired at the Caudill Labs building on campus. The building houses the chemistry department and several laboratories. When the officers arrived at the scene, they found Yan lying on the floor with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The campus was put on lockdown as police searched for the suspect. Students and staff were advised to stay indoors and away from windows. Some of them shared their terrifying experiences on social media, saying they heard gunshots and screams and barricaded themselves in classrooms and bathrooms.
Around 2:30 p.m., Tailei Qi was arrested by the Chapel Hill police in a residential neighborhood near campus. He did not resist arrest and was taken into custody without incident. He was later charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon on educational property. He is being held at the Orange County Jail without bond.
Personal Life & Family Details
According to the web search results, there is not much information available about Tailei Qi’s parents, siblings, girlfriend, or relationships. He was born in Wuhan, China, in 1992 and has Chinese nationality and Asian ethnicity. He came to the United States in 2017 to pursue his PhD in applied physical sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. He had previously studied at Wuhan University and Louisiana State University.
It is unknown if he has any family members in China or the United States, or if he was married or dating anyone. He had a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, where he posted about his research, hobbies, and personal life. However, none of his posts revealed any details about his family or romantic relationships.
Tailei Qi WIKI/BIO
| Name | Tailei Qi |
| Birthday | 1992 |
| Age | 31 years old (as of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Wuhan, China |
| Parents | Names Not Known |
| Siblings | Will Update |
| Wife | None |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Girlfriend | None |
| Kids | None |
| Career | PhD Student in Applied Physical Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill |
| Height | 5’ 8″ (172.7 cm) |
| Weight | 142.4 lbs (64.6 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eyes Color | Black |
| Education | Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry from Wuhan University; Research Assistant at Louisiana State University |
| Alma Mater | Wuhan University; Louisiana State University; UNC-Chapel Hill |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Homepage | Dresahre.com |
| taileiqi | |
| TaileiQi | |
| taileiqi |
What is the motive for the shooting?
The motive for the shooting is still under investigation by the UNC police and the Chapel Hill police. They are trying to determine what led Tailei Qi to allegedly kill his faculty advisor and whether there was any prior conflict or dispute between them.
According to some reports, Qi had posted several messages on Twitter in 2022 that suggested he was unhappy with his research group and felt harassed by some of his peers who reported him to their principal investigator (PI). It is unclear if Yan was the PI he referred to in his posts.
Some of Tailei Qi’s posts also indicated that he felt isolated and depressed as a Ph.D. student and struggled with academic pressure and cultural differences. He wrote that he had no friends and that people wanted him to work all the time without any human interaction.
However, none of these posts directly mentioned Yan or any intention to harm him or anyone else. Qi’s social media accounts were deleted shortly after the shooting.
How did the UNC community react to the shooting?
The UNC community was shocked and saddened by the shooting, which was the first fatal incident of its kind on campus. The university canceled classes and suspended non-mandatory operations until Thursday, August 31. It also offered counseling and support services to students and staff who were affected by the tragedy.
The university also held a vigil on Tuesday, August 29, to honor Yan’s memory and express solidarity with his family and friends. Hundreds of people attended the event, which featured speeches, prayers, and music. Some of Yan’s students and colleagues shared their stories and tributes to him, describing him as a kind, generous, and inspiring person.
On Wednesday, August 30, the university rang the Bell Tower at 1:02 p.m., the time of the shooting, to mark a moment of silence for Yan. The Bell Tower is a symbol of the university’s history and traditions and is usually reserved for special occasions such as commencement ceremonies.
The university also announced that it would establish a memorial fund in Yan’s name to support his family and his research group. It also said that it would review its safety protocols and procedures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Facts/Trivia
- Tailei Qi is a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is accused of shooting and killing his academic advisor, Zijie Yan.
- The shooting occurred on August 28, 2023, in the Caudill Laboratories on campus around 1 p.m.
- Tailei Qi was arrested about an hour and a half later and charged with first-degree murder.
- The motive for the killing is not clear, but some reports suggest that Qi was unhappy with his academic progress and felt pressured by Yan.
- Qi was born in 1992 in Wuhan, China, and graduated from Wuhan University with a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2014.
- He moved to the US to pursue his master’s degree in materials science at Louisiana State University, which he completed in 2018.
- Tailei Qi joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 2022 as a Ph.D. student in applied physical sciences.
- His research focused on light-matter interaction and related materials, such as nanoparticle synthesis, optical trapping, self-assembly, spectra analysis, and machine learning.
- Tailei Qi was supervised by Zijie Yan, an associate professor of physics and astronomy.
- He was interested in food, music, movies, and travel and had accounts on X, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
- He had a history of mental health issues and had sought treatment in the past.
- Tailei Qi had recently failed his qualifying exam for his Ph.D. program and was facing dismissal from the university.
 Wiki, Biography, Age, Family, Arrest, Controversy & More){kind=link}
 Wiki, Biography, Age, Family, Arrest, Controversy & More){kind=link}
No Responses Yet