Stanford president resigns in wake of doctored data in academic records: NPR
People walk on the Stanford University campus under the Hoover Tower in Stanford, California March 14, 2019. Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne said on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, that he would step down, citing an independent review that said he cleared of research misconduct, but found fault with other papers written by his lab.
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People walk on the Stanford University campus under the Hoover Tower in Stanford, California March 14, 2019. Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne said on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, that he would step down, citing an independent review that said he cleared of research misconduct, but found fault with other papers written by his lab.
Ben Margot/AP
The Stanford University president has resigned after the board concluded that several academic reports he wrote contained manipulated data.
Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who spent seven years as chairman, wrote 12 reports that contained falsified information, including lab panels that had been stitched together, panel backgrounds that had been digitally altered, and stain results taken from other documents. of research.
He was the lead author of five reports and co-author of seven. The board concluded that, on the reports he co-authored, he did not play a major role in the publication of the facts and figures in question. For reports in which he was the lead author, the board considered that he had no knowledge of the misrepresentations.
However, the board concluded that Tessier-Lavigne could have supervised his lab better to identify others who may have manipulated the research. He also found that Tessier-Lavigne was not aggressive enough to correct the erroneous data once it was published.
He said Wednesday that he accepts the board’s findings and acknowledges he could have done better.
« As I have emphatically stated, I have never submitted a scientific paper without a strong belief that the data is correct and accurately presented, » he said. « Today’s report backs up that claim. »
« I agree that in some cases I should have been more diligent in seeking fixes, and I’m sorry I didn’t, » he added. « The team’s review also identified instances of research data manipulation by others in my lab. While I was unaware of these issues, I want to be clear that I take responsibility for the work of my lab members. »
The board said that of the five papers in which Tessier-Lavigne was the lead author, it intends to withdraw three and make corrections for the other two.
Although Tesser-Lavigne is stepping down as president, effective Aug. 31, she will remain a member of the Stanford faculty and continue her research on brain development and neurodegeneration.
Stanford aims to find a new president in time for the start of the next school year in August.
