Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned from the post Wednesday after being cleared of wrongdoing in an investigation into academic misconduct that arose after research journal Cell claimed Tessier-Lavigne’s research papers contained manipulated images.
The Stanford Board of Trustees initiated a review in December of three papers he wrote. A 1999 Cell paper and two 2001 Science papers on which he was the senior author and several other papers on which he was a co-author.
Allegations of Tessier-Lavigne’s spiraled seven years on PubPeer, a site that allows scientists to identify suspected anomalies in publications, The Stanford Daily said.
Out of the 12 papers that were reviewed by the panel, Tessier-Lavigne is the main author for five of them. He has expressed his intention to retract three of the papers and make necessary corrections to the other two.
“The Panel’s report identified some areas where I should have done better, and I accept the report’s conclusions,” Tessier-Lavigne said. “Specifically, the report discusses steps I took to address issues that arose with some publications. I agree that in some instances I should have been more diligent when seeking corrections, and I regret that I was not. The Panel’s review also 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.”
Tessier-Lavigne said he plans to stay on as a biology professor but will be stepping down from his position as president due to ongoing discussions about his leadership capabilities at the university.
Professor Richard Saller of European Studies has been appointed by the Board to serve as the interim president of Stanford University starting on September 1, 2023, said board chair Jerry Yang.