United States: The President of Stanford University, Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, has announced that he will resign after an independent investigation found “substandard practises” in research papers he was involved in.
Dr. Tessier-Lavigne, a prominent neuroscientist from Ontario, Canada, issued a statement saying he would leave his post on August 31.
Previously, media reports in the United States raised questions about “falsified data” in research linked to Dr. Tessier-Lavigne. Recently, a scientific panel commissioned by Stanford’s Board of Trustees cleared the President of participating in any misconduct, even though it found “serious flaws” in the research papers reviewed.
“The Panel has identified evidence of manipulation of research data in at least four of the five primary papers at issue. But the Panel did not find evidence to conclude that Dr. Tessier-Lavigne engaged in, directed, or knew of the misconduct when it occurred,” the report remarked.
The group further found that “a scientist exercising reasonable care could not have been expected” to detect the research flaws at the time, though it did fault Dr. Tessier-Lavigne for failing to “decisively and forthrightly correct mistakes in the scientific record.”
The panel, comprised of neuroscientists, biologists, and one Nobel laureate, examined 12 research papers in which Dr. Tessier-Lavigne was involved.
According to reports, the review involved filtering through 50,000 documents and holding more than 50 meetings with witnesses and individuals involved in the scandal.
“The misconduct allegations about the work were first aired on PubPeer, a website where members of the scientific community can discuss research papers,” as per the panel’s final report.
“The Stanford President is expected to retract three of the five papers of which he was the principal author and make heavy corrections to the other two,” the report added.
Dr. Tessier-Lavigne has served in his role as President for nearly seven years. The renowned neuroscientist will be replaced by interim President Mr. Richard Saller, starting in September 2023.
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