Canadian-American neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne, 63, has resigned as president of Stanford University, a position he had held since 2016. The announcement followed the release of a report by a special committee of the Stanford Board of Trustees, which examined papers suspected of misconduct on which the president was listed as an author, including five for which he was the lead author. The committee found evidence that in at least four articles, researchers supervised by Tessier-Lavigne manipulated images and engaged in questionable practices.
While there is no indication that the neuroscientist was directly involved in the manipulation or even that he knew about the issues before the articles were published, the report noted that he was “unable to provide an adequate explanation” for why he did not correct the scientific record on several occasions when he had the opportunity to do so.
The president published a statement announcing that he would request the retraction of an article published in Cell in 1999 and two others published in Science in 2001. He added that two articles published in Nature will undergo robust corrections. “I am gratified that the panel concluded I did not engage in any fraud or falsification of scientific data,” said the Stanford president, who acknowledged he has made mistakes. “I should have been more diligent when seeking corrections. The panel’s review identified instances of manipulation of research data by others in my lab. Although I was unaware of these issues, I want to be clear that I take responsibility for the work of my lab members.”
Jerry Yang, chair of the Stanford Board of Trustees, said Tessier-Lavigne will step down “in light of the report and its impact on his ability to lead Stanford.” The evidence against the president was initially highlighted on PubPeer, an online forum where users can post anonymous comments on scientific articles. Concerns were raised about adulteration or duplication in western blot images, a method used in molecular biology to identify proteins.
After his resignation, Tassier-Lavigne will continue to work as a professor at the university’s Biology Department. Specializing in brain development, his research focuses on the causes and treatments of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as spinal cord injuries. He began his career at the University of California, San Francisco, in 1991 and joined Stanford in 2001. In 2003, he became chief scientific officer of the biotechnology company Genentech, and in 2011 he left to take over as president of Rockefeller University, in New York.
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