What did he do??? Fuck a duck?

Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigns after student investigation

Tessa McLean

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced Wednesday that he will resign following allegations he committed scientific research misconduct. An investigative report released by a university special committee concluded that while he “did not personally engage in research misconduct for any of the twelve papers about which allegations have been raised … several of these papers do exhibit manipulation of research data.”

An investigation by Stanford Daily, the university’s student newspaper, last year alleged that a number of papers co-authored over the past few decades by Tessier-Lavigne — a neuroscientist — contained potentially altered images, spurring the university investigation.

“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 said in a statement released Wednesday. “The Panel’s report identified some areas where I should have done better, and I accept the report’s conclusions.”

After the findings by the special committee, he said he will retract three of the papers and issue corrections for the other two.

A Stanford spokesperson previously downplayed the findings from the student newspaper story in November 2022, writing that for two of the research papers in question, Tessier-Lavigne “was not involved in any way in the generation or presentation of the panels that have been queried,” and for two other research papers in question, the allegedly altered images “do not affect the data, results or interpretation of the papers.”

The university later changed tactics and announced the investigation into Tessier-Lavigne’s research. The school said it would “assess the allegations presented in The Stanford Daily, consistent with its normal rigorous approach by which allegations of research misconduct are reviewed and investigated,” a spokesperson said in a statement in late November. 

European studies professor Richard Saller will serve as interim president of Stanford starting Sept. 1, Jerry Yang, chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, announced in his own statement. Tessier-Lavigne won’t leave Stanford — he’ll continue working as a tenured professor in the biology department.