Tenured Harvard professor, renowned for ethics research, loses position after eight decades of unchanged policy.
Harvard University has rescinded the tenure of Francesca Gino, a professor at Harvard Business School renowned for her work on honesty and ethical behavior, following an investigation into data manipulation allegations that surfaced in 2023.
Gino, placed on administrative leave at that time, faced accusations of falsifying data in multiple studies over a decade. A spokesperson for the university declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality regarding personnel matters. Gino also did not respond to a request for comment.
According to a blog post by Data Colada, the authors began examining Gino's research in 2021, alleging that several of her co-authored papers contained fraudulent data. The investigation, which took 18 months, found Gino responsible for "research misconduct" and led to her removal from teaching and research duties, as stated in a lawsuit Gino filed against Harvard and Data Colada in 2024.
The lawsuit, which Gino launched on the grounds of defamation, was dismissed by a federal judge in September 2024. However, the judge allowed claims that Harvard breached its contract with Gino by disciplining her in violation of tenure policies, the Harvard Crimson reported.
Gino has since set up a website dedicated to her lawsuit, with the latest update in March 2024 expressing her continued assertion of innocence: "Harvard shared their case. And while my lawyers have discouraged me from speaking out, I just need to say that I did not - ever - engage in academic fraud."
It is believed that Gino is the first faculty member at Harvard to have their tenure revoked in decades. The decision was made by Harvard's highest governing body, the Harvard Corporation, a rare move by the prestigious institution.
The allegations of research misconduct against Francesca Gino, a former professor at Harvard Business School, involved data manipulation in studies spanning over a decade. Despite Gino's assertion of innocence and a lawsuit she filed against Harvard and Data Colada, the deletion of her tenure was upheld by Harvard Corporation, marking a significant step in a general news story, education-and-self-development, and science. Further, this incident raises questions about the integrity of academic research in markets and beyond.
