By Elena Chong

A UNIVERSITY professor has been accused of molesting a 22-year-old student.

Li Jinyan, 40, an associate professor at the Nanyang Technological University's School of Computer Engineering, allegedly touched the woman's buttocks in a room on the campus at about 1.30pm on Sept 11 last year.

The woman has not been named to protect her identity.

In court yesterday, Li's lawyer, Mr Gary Low, told the court that he had just been engaged by his client. He asked for a month's adjournment to take instructions and make representations.

A pre-trial conference has been set and Li, who is out on police bail of $10,000, will return to court on May 10. His passport has been impounded.

He is the editor of several journals on information technology, and was part of a team that won the gold award at the 2003 Asian Innovation Awards.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to two years or a fine or caning, or any combined punishment.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.