Marc Tessier-Lavigne has announced his exit as the President of Stanford University following the release of months-long investigation into research misconduct allegations against him.
He was accused of leaving mistakes in scientific papers uncorrected amid allegations of data manipulation.
Tessier-Lavigne said in a resignation letter on Wednesday that he was “gratified” that an investigative panel “concluded I did not engage in any fraud or falsification of scientific data.”
Despite his claim, Tessier-Lavigne noted that it was in the best interest of Stanford that he step down.
“Although the report clearly refutes the allegations of fraud and misconduct that were made against me, for the good of the University, I have made the decision to step down as President effective August 31,” Tessier-Lavigne wrote.
Tessier-Lavigne, a renowned neuroscientist, first faced claims of research misconduct in November when the Stanford Daily reported on allegations that several research articles he co-authored in the early 2000s contained manipulated images.
Tessier-Lavigne has denied the research misconduct claims from the beginning, pushing back forcefully at times on the newspaper, which he accused of making a “string of false allegations” and unfairly questioning his integrity.
The newspaper has stood by its reporting, with the student reporter who first broke the news winning a prestigious 2022 George Polk Award in Journalism for his scoop on the president.
Stanford faculty members have expressed mixed reactions, with some encouraging the president to step down amid questions over his research while others cautioned against a rush to judgment.
Stanford responded by creating a Board of Trustees Committee to investigate the claims, later adding a Panel of Research experts and a law firm to the effort.
The Board has indicated that the effort involved “hundreds of hours of meetings and witness interviews” with more than 26,000 documents reviewed as part of an in-depth investigation.
