A Portland State University professor recognized last year as one of Oregon’s top scientists is on paid administrative leave amid child pornography charges.

Niles E. Lehman, a chemistry professor who has been employed by the college since 2001, was arrested in February after he was indicted on charges of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. He is accused of viewing and disseminating child porn images between October 2017 and September 2018.

Lehman, 56, of Portland, posted bail in March, Oregon court records show. A judge ordered him to be placed on GPS monitoring, surrender his passport, stay off the Internet, and avoid children and places where they’re likely to gather, the documents said.

When court staff interviewed Lehman in February to help determine whether he should be released, he didn’t mention working for Portland State University, court records show. He said he has a Ph.D. and sometimes drove for Lyft, DoorDash and Postmates.

In a statement Tuesday, Portland State University confirmed Lehman is on paid administrative leave and that the school is cooperating with the police investigation and is “very concerned about the charges.”

“It’s certainly upsetting that there are accusations that a PSU employee engaged in illegal and improper conduct, which is reflected in the charges against Professor Lehman,” the statement said.

Kenny Ma, a university spokesman, declined to comment further on the case, including when Lehman was placed on leave.

Michael Romano, Lehman’s attorney, declined to comment on his behalf of his client.

Portland State University tweeted in January 2018 that Lehman was named the state’s “scientist of the year” by the Oregon Academy of Science. The academy recognized Lehman with the 2018 Outstanding Scientist Award for his work in molecular evolution and the possible origins of life.

According to a cached version of Lehman’s PSU staff profile that has since been removed from the school’s website, Lehman received a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1990 and did postdoctoral fellowships in the early and mid ’90s at the Scripps Research Institute and University of Oregon. He described himself as an evolutionary biochemist focused on topics such as the genetic origins of life on Earth.

Eder Campuzano of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

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