Harvard University fired Professor Francesca Gino for data fraud, a rare move for a tenured faculty member. Researchers Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson, and Joe Simmons, known as Data Colada, exposed data manipulation in Gino's papers, leading to retractions and sanctions. Gino responded with a $25 million lawsuit, which was partially dismissed.
In a historic move, Harvard University has dismissed Professor Francesca Gino, known for her research on honesty, for extensive data fraud—the first time in nearly 80 years the Ivy League school has fired a tenured faculty member. The university confirmed Gino’s termination on Tuesday, following a years-long saga that began when three behavioral science researchers—Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson, and Joe Simmons—uncovered evidence of data manipulation in her work.Gino, who joined Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2010 and became a full professor by 2014, was initially placed on administrative leave in 2023 after Harvard’s internal investigation concluded she had engaged in “research misconduct intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly.”
Meet the whistleblowers
At the heart of this scandal is Data Colada, the blog co-authored by Simonsohn, Nelson, and Simmons—three prominent behavioral scientists dedicated to scrutinizing the integrity of research in their field.Simonsohn, a professor at Ramon Llull University in Spain, has developed influential tools to detect p-hacking and other questionable research practices. Nelson, at UC Berkeley’s Haas...
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