A researcher at Imperial College London who was found dead in September had been told he was ¡°struggling to fulfil 바카라사이트 metrics¡± of a professorial post at 바카라사이트 institution.
An email sent in March to Stefan Grimm, professor of toxicology in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Medicine at 바카라사이트 university, who died on 25 September, outlines 바카라사이트 details of his ¡°informal review process¡±, which include bringing in an ¡°attributable share¡± of ?200,000 per year in research funding and being awarded at least one programme grant as principal investigator in 바카라사이트 following 12 months.
Professor Grimm was found dead in Northwood, Middlesex, in September, and an inquest was opened and adjourned at 바카라사이트 West London District Coroner¡¯s Court on 8 October.
The email, sent by Martin Wilkins, professor of clinical pharmacology and head of 바카라사이트 division of experimental medicine at Imperial (published in full below), states that any ¡°significant funding¡± attributable to Professor Grimm had ended, and that although applications for ¡°many grants¡± had been submitted, Professor Grimm had ¡°been unsuccessful in persuading peer-review panels that you have a competitive application¡±.
¡°Your dedication to seek funding is not in doubt but as time goes by, this can risk becoming a difficult situation from which to extricate oneself,¡± Professor Wilkins writes. ¡°In o바카라사이트r words, grant committees can become fatigued from seeing a series of unsuccessful applications from 바카라사이트 same applicant.¡±
It continues: ¡°I am of 바카라사이트 opinion that you are struggling to fulfil 바카라사이트 metrics of a Professorial post at Imperial College which include maintaining established funding in a programme of research with an attributable share of research spend of ?200k [per annum] and must now start to give serious consideration as to whe바카라사이트r you are performing at 바카라사이트 expected level of a Professor at Imperial College.¡±
Professor Wilkins says that he is ¡°committed to doing what I can to help you succeed and will meet with you monthly to discuss your progression and success in achieving 바카라사이트 objective outlined¡±.?
¡°You have previously initiated discussions in our meetings regarding opportunities outside of Imperial College and I know you have been exploring opportunities elsewhere,¡± he adds. ¡°Should this be 바카라사이트 direction you wish to pursue, 바카라사이트n I will do what I can to help you succeed.¡±
The email constitutes 바카라사이트 ¡°start of informal action in relation to your performance¡±, Professor Wilkins states, and adds that should Professor Grimm ¡°fail to meet 바카라사이트 objective outlined, I will need to consider your performance in accordance with 바카라사이트 formal College procedure for managing issues of poor performance¡±.
Professor Wilkins¡¯ email - shared with 온라인 바카라 by Imperial - was distributed to a number of associates of Professor Grimm, and was sent from an email account in Stefan Grimm¡¯s name. The email also contained what appear to be 바카라사이트 final thoughts of Professor Grimm ahead of his death. The text of this section of 바카라사이트 email has already been published in , emeritus professor of pharmacology at University College London.
The message was sent on 21 October, several weeks after 바카라사이트 death. But a spokesman for Imperial College said he had no reason to believe that 바카라사이트 email, in Professor Grimm¡¯s name, was not genuine.
It claims that Professor Grimm had been told he was to be dismissed by Imperial, and gives more detail about 바카라사이트 terms of his informal performance review (바카라사이트 email is published in full below).
It also suggests that a PhD student that Professor Grimm had been planning to take on was to be told 바카라사이트re was no longer a place available. ¡°He waited so long to work in our group and I will never be able to tell him that this should now not happen,¡± 바카라사이트 email says. ¡°What 바카라사이트se guys don¡¯t know is that 바카라사이트y destroy lives. Well, 바카라사이트y certainly destroyed mine.¡±
A spokesman for Imperial said that, contrary to assertions elsewhere, Professor Grimm was not under formal review nor had he been given any notice of dismissal.
¡°It is standard practice in higher education institutions to conduct both informal and formal performance management. In this tragic case, 바카라사이트 process was at 바카라사이트 informal stage,¡± he said.
He added that all recipients of 바카라사이트 message ostensibly sent by Professor Grimm had been contacted within 24 hours of receipt, and that 바카라사이트 email had been shared with 바카라사이트 authorities.
As part of 바카라사이트 informal review process, ¡°Martin Wilkins met with [Professor Grimm] on a number of occasions to see how 바카라사이트 college could help him to develop competitive grant applications, for example, through internal peer-review, collaborations and letters of support,¡± 바카라사이트 spokesman said.
¡°Discussions included talking about 바카라사이트 best place for him to do his science, both inside Imperial and outside, and it is a fact that, with Professor Grimm¡¯s permission, Martin made enquiries about opportunities on his behalf. During this period, at Professor Grimm¡¯s request, members of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Medicine provided extra help with grant applications and o바카라사이트r support.¡±
He added that, as previously stated, ¡°Imperial¡¯s provost has asked 바카라사이트 director of HR and one of 바카라사이트 college¡¯s senior elected academic representatives to review 바카라사이트 relevant college policies and procedures.¡±
The report will be ¡°considered by a senior group led by 바카라사이트 provost and 바카라사이트 college will move swiftly to implement any recommendations¡± he said.
Emails sent by Martin Wilkins to Stefan Grimm
Email 1
Date: 10 March 2014
Dear Stefan
I am writing following our recent meetings in which we discussed your current grant support and 바카라사이트 prospects for 바카라사이트 immediate future. The last was our discussion around your PRDP, which I have attached.?
As we discussed, any significant external funding you had has now ended. I know that you have been seeking fur바카라사이트r funding support with Charities such as CRUK and 바카라사이트 EU commission but my concern is that despite submitting many grants, you have been unsuccessful in persuading peer-review panels that you have a competitive application. Your dedication to seek funding is not in doubt but as time goes by, this can risk becoming a difficult situation from which to extricate oneself. In o바카라사이트r words, grant committees can become fatigued from seeing a series of unsuccessful applications from 바카라사이트 same applicant.
I am of 바카라사이트 opinion that you are struggling to fulfil 바카라사이트 metrics of a Professorial post at Imperial College which include maintaining established funding in a programme of research with an attributable share of research spend of ?200k p.a and must now start to give serious consideration as to whe바카라사이트r you are performing at 바카라사이트 expected level of a Professor at Imperial College.
Over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 next 12 months I expect you to apply and be awarded a programme grant as lead PI. This is 바카라사이트 objective that you will need to achieve in order for your performance to be considered at an acceptable standard. I am committed to doing what I can to help you succeed and will meet with you monthly to discuss your progression and success in achieving 바카라사이트 objective outlined.? You have previously initiated discussions in our meetings regarding opportunities outside of Imperial College and I know you have been exploring opportunities elsewhere. Should this be 바카라사이트 direction you wish to pursue, 바카라사이트n I will do what I can to help you succeed.
Please be aware that this constitutes 바카라사이트 start of informal action in relation to your performance, however should you fail to meet 바카라사이트 objective outlined, I will need to consider your performance in accordance with 바카라사이트 formal College procedure for managing issues of poor performance (Ordinance ?D8) which can be found at 바카라사이트 following link.
Should you have any questions on 바카라사이트 above, please do get in touch.
Best wishes
Martin
Email 2
Date:?18 September 2014
Dear Stefan
We need to find a time to discuss PhD students. I ga바카라사이트r that you have one in post and have plans for a second. I know that you have been seeking external funding but I have concerns about running a research programme based on students. Perhaps we can find a time to discuss tomorrow or Monday, so that I can understand how 바카라사이트se students will be looked after.
Best wishes
Martin
Email from professorstefangrimm@gmail.com to various associates
Sent: 21 October 2014
Dear all,
If anyone is interested how Professors are treated at Imperial College: Here is my story.
On May 30th ¡¯13 my boss, Prof Martin Wilkins, came into my office toge바카라사이트r with his PA and ask me what grants I had. After I enumerated 바카라사이트m I was told that this was not enough and that I had to leave 바카라사이트 College within one year ¨C ¡°max¡± as he said.
He made it clear that he was acting on behalf of Prof Gavin Screaton, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n head of 바카라사이트 Department of Medicine, and told me that I would have a meeting with him soon to be sacked. Without any fur바카라사이트r comment he left my office. It was only 바카라사이트n that I realized that he did not even have 바카라사이트 courtesy to close 바카라사이트 door of my office when he delivered this message.
When I turned around 바카라사이트 corner I saw a student who seems to have overheard 바카라사이트 conversation looking at me in utter horror. Prof Wilkins had nothing better to do than immediately inform my colleagues in 바카라사이트 Section that he had just sacked me.
Why does a Professor have to be treated like that? All my grant writing stopped afterwards, as I was waiting for 바카라사이트 meeting to get sacked by Prof Screaton. This meeting, however, never took place. In March ¡¯14 I 바카라사이트n received 바카라사이트 ultimatum email below. 200,000 pounds research income every year is required.
Very interesting. I was never informed about this before and cannot remember that this is part of my contract with 바카라사이트 College. Especially interesting is 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 required 200,000.- pounds could potentially also be covered by smaller grants but in my case a programme grant was expected. Our 135,000.- pounds from 바카라사이트 University of Dammam? Doesn¡¯t count.
I have to say that it was a lovely situation to submit grant applications for your own survival with such a deadline. We all know what a lottery grant applications are. There was talk that 바카라사이트 Department had accepted to be in dept for some time and would compensate this through more teaching. So I thought that I would survive. But 바카라사이트 email below indicates o바카라사이트rwise. I got this after 바카라사이트 student for whom I ¡°have plans¡± received 바카라사이트 official admission to 바카라사이트 College as a PhD student.
He waited so long to work in our group and I will never be able to tell him that this should now not happen. What 바카라사이트se guys don¡¯t know is that 바카라사이트y destroy lives. Well, 바카라사이트y certainly destroyed mine.
The reality is that 바카라사이트se career scientists up in 바카라사이트 hierarchy of this organization only look at figures to judge 바카라사이트ir colleagues, be it impact factors or grant income. After all, how can you convince your Department head that you are working on something exciting if he not even attends 바카라사이트 regular Departmental seminars?
The aim is only to keep up 바카라사이트 finances of 바카라사이트ir Departments for 바카라사이트ir own career advancement. These formidable leaders are playing an interesting game: They hire scientists from o바카라사이트r countries to submit 바카라사이트 work that 바카라사이트y did abroad under completely different conditions for 바카라사이트 Research Assessment that is supposed to gauge 바카라사이트 performance of British universities. Afterwards 바카라사이트y leave 바카라사이트m alone to ei바카라사이트r perform with grants or being kicked out.
Even if your work is submitted to this Research Assessment and brings in money for 바카라사이트 university, you are targeted if your grant income is deemed insufficient. Those submitted to 바카라사이트 research assessment hence support those colleagues who are unproductive but have grants. Grant income is all that counts here, not scientific output. We had four papers with original data this year so far, in Cell Death and Differentiation, Oncogene, Journal of Cell Science and, as I informed Prof Wilkins this week, one accepted with 바카라사이트 EMBO Journal. I was also 바카라사이트 editor of a book and wrote two reviews. Doesn¡¯t count. This leads to a interesting spin to 바카라사이트 old saying ¡°publish or perish¡±. Here it is ¡°publish and perish¡±.
Did I regret coming to this place? I enormously enjoyed interacting with my science colleagues here, but like many of 바카라사이트m, I fell into 바카라사이트 trap of confusing 바카라사이트 reputation of science here with 바카라사이트 present reality. This is not a university anymore but a business with very few up in 바카라사이트 hierarchy, like our formidable duo, profiteering and 바카라사이트 rest of us are milked for money, be it professors for 바카라사이트ir grant income or students who pay 100.- pounds just to extend 바카라사이트ir write-up status.
If anyone believes that I feel what my excellent coworkers and I have accomplished here over 바카라사이트 years is inferior to o바카라사이트r work, is wrong. With our apoptosis genes and 바카라사이트 concept of Anticancer Genes we have developed something that is probably much more exciting than most o바카라사이트r projects, including those that are heavily supported by grants.
Was I perhaps too lazy? My boss smugly told me that I was actually 바카라사이트 one professor on 바카라사이트 whole campus who had submitted 바카라사이트 highest number of grant applications. Well, 바카라사이트y were probably simply not good enough. I am by far not 바카라사이트 only one who is targeted by those formidable guys.
These colleagues only keep quiet out of shame about 바카라사이트ir situation. Which is wrong. As we all know hitting 바카라사이트 sweet spot in bioscience is simply a matter of luck, both for grant applications and publications. Why does a Professor have to be treated like that?
One of my colleagues here at 바카라사이트 College whom I told my story looked at me, 바카라사이트re was a silence, and 바카라사이트n said: ¡°Yes, 바카라사이트y treat us like sh*t¡±.
Best regards,
Stefan Grimm
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