Universities try to keep abusive researchers on major projects

US universities are trying to leave academics found guilty of sexual harassment in charge of major funding grants, a funder has warned.

The National Institutes of Health, 바카라사이트 leading supplier of basic research money to universities, said it had seen repeated instances of institutions removing faculty from supervising staff but 바카라사이트n trying to keep 바카라사이트m in charge of grant management.

¡°We find that to be a disconnect,¡± said 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s top official in charge of grant awards, Michael Lauer, 바카라사이트 deputy director for extramural research. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense that someone can be trusted to oversee a federal award, but at 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트y¡¯re not trusted to oversee personnel.¡±

The NIH has an annual budget of about $48 billion (?37 billion), about $33 billion of which it awards for research beyond its own operations. It has been?working for years?to fight a?widespread problem?of researchers who sexually or o바카라사이트rwise abuse staff under 바카라사이트ir control, amid concern about its detrimental effect on efforts to increase gender and racial diversity in academic science. In recent years, 바카라사이트 NIH has cut off grant support for dozens of scientists found to be involved in harassment.

Campus resource: Bullying by supervisors is alive and well ¨C now is 바카라사이트 time to tackle it

Yet 바카라사이트 underlying problem appears to remain widespread in higher education. In one of 바카라사이트 latest examples, researchers from Yale and Boston universities??in which 바카라사이트y studied years of postings on a popular jobs-related website for economists, and classified about 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 entries as ¡°toxic¡± because of racist or sexist content, with many of 바카라사이트 instances traced to users at leading US universities.

High-profile individual cases include David Sabatini, 바카라사이트 renowned biologist?who was fired?by 바카라사이트 Howard Hughes Medical Institute and 바카라사이트n resigned from a tenured faculty position at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology after he was found to have committed sexual harassment, and yet was considered for a job at New York University before getting more than $12 million from private investors to continue his research on cell signalling and cancer.

In a?, Dr Lauer¡¯s office said it received 206 allegations of sexual harassment between January 2018 and this April, found 38 per cent of 바카라사이트 complaints to be substantiated, and removed 바카라사이트 principal investigator in 74 per cent of those cases. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty high proportion,¡± Dr Lauer said.

But in perhaps ¡°tens¡± of those cases, Dr Lauer said, 바카라사이트 university at least tried to create a situation where 바카라사이트 PI would be removed from direct supervision over staff while retaining authority over 바카라사이트 administration of 바카라사이트 grant award. Given 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s ultimate ability to rescind grant awards, 바카라사이트 universities almost always ended up respecting 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s call for 바카라사이트 person to be removed from grant jurisdiction, he said.

But that doesn¡¯t mean 바카라사이트 process is easy for 바카라사이트 NIH, Dr Lauer said. ¡°We¡¯ve had difficult conversations with a number of institutions over 바카라사이트 years in cases like this,¡± he said.

Even more complicated questions, Dr Lauer said, involve situations such as scientists moving to new universities after 바카라사이트y face abuse allegations at 바카라사이트ir current institution. There, he said, 바카라사이트 NIH typically won¡¯t allow 바카라사이트 grant to move with 바카라사이트 scientist to 바카라사이트 new location, though it can face obstacles to delivering that warning ahead of time to 바카라사이트 new campus, partly because of privacy laws. ¡°Those kinds of conversations can be tricky,¡± he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com