Student Reporting Causes Stanford Prexy To Quit

Within months of starting his undergraduate at Stanford University, 18-year-old Theo Baker was already on the trail of a story that would lead him to become the youngest George Polk award winner in American journalism history, Carly Cassella reported for ScienceAlert.

Photo Insert: A panel of scientists concluded that Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne's work contained image manipulations in 2001, the early 2010s, 2015-2016, and 2021.

His reporting for The Stanford Daily has culminated in the resignation of Stanford's President: Neuroscientist and Genentech billionaire Marc Tessier-Lavigne.

It all started in Baker's freshman year when he noticed researchers online discussing whether Tessier-Lavigne's scientific papers contained manipulated images. In collaboration with Elizabeth Bik, they found image manipulations by Lavigne’s papers in three institutions over the past two decades.

Baker's reporting caused Stanford University to open an inquiry into the matter. A panel of scientists concluded that Tessier-Lavigne's work contained image manipulations in 2001, the early 2010s, 2015-2016, and 2021.

Yet, the panel dismissed any allegations of fraud or misconduct on the part of Tessier-Lavigne himself.

Instead, they conclude that the "unusual frequency of manipulation of research data" in the neuroscientist's lab "suggests that there may have been opportunities to improve laboratory oversight and management."

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