——If the family receives compensation from a third party but cannot obtain the school’s work-related death certification, who will pay for those who sacrificed themselves for scientific research?
On February 23, 2022, Li Te, a doctoral student in aquaculture at the School of Food and Pharmacy, Ningbo University (hereinafter referred to as “Ningda”), went missing after snorkeling in the South China Sea while performing a sampling task for a National Natural Science Foundation project. This accident not only shattered a family but also sparked a years-long dispute between Li Te’s family and Ningda over the determination of “death on duty” and compensation.
The growth trajectory of an outstanding student
Li Te was an outstanding student who excelled in academics, scientific research, and practice. Academically, he steadily progressed, from a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at the Ningbo University Science and Technology College, to a master’s degree in marine biology at Ningbo University, and then to a doctoral degree in aquaculture at the School of Food and Pharmacy. During this time, he won multiple honors, including Outstanding Graduate of Zhejiang Province’s General Universities and Outstanding Graduate of Ningbo University.
In the field of scientific research, he was a core member of the National Natural Science Foundation project, deeply involved in scientific diving sampling work in multiple locations in the South China Sea, proficient in operating various precision instruments and using professional software, published more than a dozen important academic papers, including one as the first author in an SCI international journal, one of which also won the second place in the paper exchange report at the 2021 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association Conference.
In terms of practice, he once served in the 6xxx0 unit and was awarded the titles of “Outstanding Soldier” and “Honorary Soldier”; during his time at school, he served as a class monitor and a graduate student union cadre, and in 2020, he was hired as a Ningbo University alumni work liaison officer. As a formal organizational member, he possessed multiple diving qualifications and computer and English proficiency certificates. He self-assessed his qualities as “active, serious, hardworking, and courageous in challenging,” which ran through his growth process.
The incident: an unexpected disappearance on the road of scientific research
In February 2022, Li Te devoted himself to the National Natural Science Foundation project “Research on the Mining of ‘Difficult to Cultivate’ Microbial Resources in the Ocean’s Light Layer and Their Anti-Infection Active Substances” (Project Number: 421****1). The project was led by Associate Professor He of the School of Food and Pharmacy, Ningbo University, with an execution period from January 2022 to December 2025. It aimed to explore the microbial resources of the light layer coral reef area in the South China Sea through scientific diving technology. Li Te, as a major member of the project, was responsible for the “scientific diving and sample collection” work.
At the time, Li Te had been married for less than twenty days. His whole family advised him to go out after the honeymoon, but he always said, “Scientific research sampling is very important, and the school and the supervisor require sampling, so I have to go.” As a student, he could not refuse the arrangements of his supervisor and leaders, and finally followed the arrangements and embarked on the journey. His mother later recalled, “Just like that, my child was like a soldier, going to charge, but the result was so heartbreaking for us.”
On February 17, Li Te asked Professor Xu, his supervisor, for leave via WeChat, informing him that he would be going to Hainan for sampling with Professor He, with a planned duration of about 20 days, and was approved. Before departure, he communicated in detail with Professor He and Teacher Wang from the laboratory about the preparation of materials needed for sampling, such as flags, centrifuge tubes, and culture media, as well as the confirmation of freezer space and sailing routes. The information such as “sailing for three days” and “rushing against the wind” was enough to reflect the arduousness of the task. The School of Food and Pharmacy, Ningbo University, also issued a letter of introduction for this trip, specifying the sampling time as February 18 to March 9, 2022.
However, on February 23, when Li Te was taking the Qiong Dong Yu 11xx8 ship to the South China Sea to perform a sampling task, he unexpectedly went missing after snorkeling at a certain dive site in the sea area. In 2024, the People’s Court of Jiangbei District, Ningbo City, issued a “Civil Judgment,” clarifying the process of his disappearance and legally ruling “to declare Li Te dead.” In March 2025, the criminal judgment of the First Intermediate People’s Court of Hainan Province determined that the accident was a major responsibility accident and clarified the responsibilities of the relevant responsible persons. After the accident, through the mediation of the procuratorate, the shipowner in Hainan, the organizer of the voyage, and Professor He personally paid some compensation to Li Te’s family, and the family also issued a corresponding letter of understanding.
The core demands and family difficulties of the family
This accident completely shattered Li Te’s family. Ms. Ma, his mother, lost her ability to work due to various illnesses, Li Te’s father was mentally ill and unable to work, and his newlywed wife was also overwhelmed by grief due to the huge stimulation, with abnormal physical indicators for a long time. “For more than three years, I have been running around to deal with the aftermath, relying on the support of being able to give my son a ‘death on duty’ conclusion, and now I really can’t hold on anymore.” Ms. Ma’s words were full of helplessness.
She has always been unable to understand that her son sacrificed himself for the school’s scientific research tasks, but the school is unwilling to even bear the basic compensation. The family worked hard to raise a doctoral student, and now he had an accident while performing his duties. How can the school have no responsibility? She couldn’t understand why some children who jumped from the school could get compensation, but her son, who was an organizational member who sacrificed himself for scientific research, could not get the protection he deserved.
In this case, Ms. Ma put forward two core demands:
- Request Ningbo University to confirm Li Te’s death on duty, hold a memorial service, and publicize his spirit of dedication to scientific research;
- Request the school to compensate in accordance with the treatment for work-related deaths, including a one-time work-related death subsidy, funeral subsidy, and support for family members.
She believes that Li Te, as a core member of the school’s national-level project, had an accident while performing his duties, which meets the work-related injury determination situation of “being injured or missing due to work reasons during the period of going out for work” in China’s “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance.” She also mentioned that an engineer from the affiliated Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University who disappeared in the same accident as Li Te’s family can still receive wages and travel subsidies, and after being declared dead, they are expected to be compensated according to the treatment for duty-related death, which made her have expectations for Li Te’s work-related death determination. In addition, she emphasized that even if she receives third-party compensation, she can still enjoy work-related injury insurance benefits according to relevant regulations, and the two belong to different legal categories.
School’s response and the focus of the dispute
In response to Ms. Ma’s request, the Ocean College of Ningbo University clearly stated in its reply letter on July 8, 2025, that Li Te was a doctoral student in aquaculture in 2020 and was not a school employee. There was no labor relationship between the two parties, and the “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance” did not apply. Therefore, it did not meet the criteria for death on duty, and it was recommended that the family resolve the dispute through legal channels.
The core of the dispute between the two parties lies in the definition of “labor relationship.” The school believes that the relationship between a doctoral student and the school is an educational training relationship, not a labor relationship, so it cannot be included in the scope of work-related injury insurance. However, Ms. Ma insists that Li Te, as a core participant in the national-level scientific research project, his sampling work is an indispensable part of the project, and his work connection with the school far exceeds the fact of a temporary labor relationship, and he should be entitled to work-related death determination and compensation.
To seek a solution, Ms. Ma once wrote to the relevant units in Zhejiang Province to reflect the situation, and also sent letters to the school many times, but she has never been able to change the school’s attitude.
Deep thinking behind the dispute
Li Te practiced the spirit of serving the country with science by putting his papers on the land of the motherland. His excellence is obvious to all. However, after the accident, the reasonable demands of his family fell into a predicament. Behind this dispute, the gap in the protection of the rights and interests of doctoral students participating in scientific research projects is reflected.
The project plan of the National Natural Science Foundation clearly lists Li Te as a core member, and the time and energy he devoted to the project cannot be underestimated. However, after the accident, he was unable to obtain corresponding protection due to the “non-labor relationship.” The handling of the engineer in the same accident by the affiliated Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University makes this gap even more prominent.
At present, Ms. Ma is still running around for her son’s “status” and the future of her family. This dispute, which has lasted for several years, is not only related to the fate of a family, but also concerns the academic community’s thinking about the protection of the rights and interests of scientific researchers—when young scholars dedicate their youth and even their lives to the cause of science, how to ensure that their families receive the respect and protection they deserve may be an important issue left to society by this dispute.
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