A committee found that Priyanga Amarasekare broke rules after she alleged discrimination by colleagues. It recommended light sanctions — but the university chancellor issued stronger ones.
In March 2022, a committee at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), found that ecologist Priyanga Amarasekare had breached the faculty code of conduct, most notably by violating confidentiality and procedural rules when criticizing her colleagues and department policies, according to documents obtained by Nature. The committee recommended she be given a letter of censure and five years of probation. UCLA chancellor Gene Block instead issued much harsher penalties, including a one-year, unpaid suspension that effectively stranded her research projects and cut off communication with her students.
Over the past several weeks, nearly 500 scientists from around the world have signed a petition calling on UCLA to either reverse the suspension or explain the nature of the allegations against Amarasekare. Originally from Sri Lanka and one of two tenured women of colour in her department, Amarasekare had accused colleagues of discrimination, and her supporters argue that UCLA retaliated against her for speaking out. The sanctions levied against her, they say, are normally applied only in cases of the most egregious misconduct.
The documents received by Nature — including the letter of censure — contain no accusations of academic misconduct or illegal behaviour, and instead focus on...
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