Harvard revokes Italian professor Francesca Gino's professorship for scientific fraud

At the end of a long tug-of-war that had also gone through the courts, Harvard has revoked the tenure of Francesca Gino of Italy, a lecturer at Harvard Business School known for her research on honesty and ethical behaviour and who had been accused of serious academic misconduct and scientific fraud. This was reported by the Boston-based non-profit broadcaster Gbh News.

University officials informed Gino's colleagues of the decision during a closed-door meeting last week, and a university spokesperson confirmed the news. Harvard had begun investigating Francesca Gino in 2023 on the basis of findings on Data Colada, a blog run by a group of behavioural scientists who critically analyse academic research.

The university's investigation had concluded that the professor had manipulated data to support her theses in at least four studies and Harvard suspended her with unpaid administrative leave. Gino denied all the allegations and filed a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard, business school dean Srikant Datar and Data Colada bloggers, accusing them of defamation, gender discrimination and invasion of privacy. Last September, a federal judge in Boston had dismissed the defamation charges against Harvard and the bloggers, ruling that the focus on Gino as a public figure was protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The case, at a time when universities and science in the United States are at the centre of strong criticism, has ignited a broad debate within the academic community, raising questions about the integrity of research, the responsibility of institutions in combating scientific fraud, and the balance between protecting the reputation of professors and the need for transparency. According to Gbh News, a Pbs-affiliated broadcaster, there are no other cases in which Harvard has revoked a professor's tenure.