Stanford University President to Resign Amid Research Controversies

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Facts

• Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced Wednesday that he would step down from his post after an independent investigation found serious shortcomings in research he supervised. The panel, however, cleared Tessier-Lavigne of charges of scientific fraud and misconduct.¹
• The investigation found that labs run by Tessier-Lavigne engaged in 'repeated' data manipulation. While Tessier-Lavigne wasn't personally implicated in data manipulation, papers he co-authored were determined to have 'serious flaws.'²
• Stanford's student newspaper, the Stanford Daily, published allegations in December that a research journal had raised concerns about a 2008 paper Tessier-Lavigne co-authored. Their most serious accusation was that Tessier-Lavigne stopped issues with an Alzheimer's research paper from becoming public.³
• While the report cleared the neuroscientist of misconduct charges in the 2009 paper on Alzheimer's, the panel found 'various errors and shortcomings' in the paper. The panel found that Tessier-Lavigne wasn't aware of the flaws in the paper.⁴
• The report concluded that five papers in which Tessier-Lavigne was listed as an author had manipulated data or 'deficient scientific practices' and that Tessier-Lavigne had failed to take appropriate steps to correct the errors made.⁵
• In a statement, Tessier-Lavigne says that while he was cleared of the most serious accusations, he will be resigning from his post 'for the good of the University,' effective Aug. 31, ending his seven-year tenure. He will remain at Stanford as a tenured professor.⁵

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²BBC News, ³Washington Post, ⁴CBS and ⁵NBC.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Archive. While the report does find fault in some research that he had supervised, Tessier-Lavigne is still one of the foremost experts in his field. This investigation is proof that academia is working as intended, as the indispensable tool of peer review helped uncover flaws in the research. While Tessier-Lavigne may have been lax in his lab, he isn't a fraudster and is showing his integrity by stepping down to avoid further distractions, despite being exonerated.
• Narrative B, as provided by New York Times. Data manipulation, especially manipulation of images, has become endemic in science. By manipulating data, researchers poison the well-being of science as others build on their fraudulent work. The stifling and cliquish world of academia can create environments where sloppy work is passed off and where it can be career suicide to question it. Tessier-Lavigne should have known better, as manipulation of data puts the entire scientific method in jeopardy.