Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne has announced that he will be stepping down from his position after an independent review found flaws in his research work as a neuroscientist. The review was ordered by the university’s board of trustees.
In his statement on the matter, Tessier-Lavigne said he was cleared of any fraud or falsification of scientific data. He added that the panel did not find that he engaged in research misconduct regarding the twelve papers he reviewed. The review also did not conclude that he had any knowledge of or was reckless regarding research misconduct in his lab.
What did the review find?
The review was published on Wednesday. It cleared most of the serious allegation levelled against Tessier-Lavigne which was of engaging in scientific fraud. The allegations were raised in connection with Alzheimer’s disease research which was done when he was the Executive Vice President of research drug discovery at Genentech. However, the review of the 12 paper found that when concerns about the research were raised, “Tessier-Lavigne failed to decisively and forthrightly correct mistakes in the scientific record.”
The review of Tessier-Lavigne’s past work was launched in December after allegations of fraudulent research on papers he co-authored surfaced on PubPeer, a crowd-sourced platform where scientists can raise concerns about scholarship.
Tessier-Lavigne’s reaction
Saying that the review found areas where he should have “done better” and that he accepted those conclusions, Tessier-Lavigne wrote that he was resigning because he expected ongoing discussions about his work that could “lead to debate about my ability to lead the University into the new academic year.”
As a result of the review, Tessier-Lavigne said he was going to retract three papers and correct another two.
In his letter, Tessier-Lavigne said he would resign even though the review of his work did not find any fraud or falsification of data on his part. Tessier-Lavigne will remain as a biology professor and continue to carry out research on brain development and neurodegeneration.
The board of trustees named Richard Saller, a professor in Stanford’s Department of Classics, as interim president beginning September 1.
(With Agency Inputs)