Harvard Revokes Professor’s Tenure in Rare Action Following Data Manipulation Allegations

Harvard University has taken the rare step of revoking the tenure of Francesca Gino, a prominent professor of business administration, following allegations of data fraud. The decision comes after nearly four years of controversy and institutional inquiry surrounding her academic work. Gino had previously built an international reputation for her research focusing on honesty and ethical behavior, making the accusations particularly striking.

The case marks an unusual move for the Ivy League institution. "This is the first time it has occurred in recent decades," a Harvard spokesperson told reporters, referencing the revocation of Gino’s tenure. According to university records cited by student newspaper The Harvard Crimson, Gino was one of the highest-paid employees at Harvard in 2018 and 2019, earning upwards of $1 million per year.

Gino’s career began to unravel following a series of blog posts published by Data Colada, a collective of academics specializing in research integrity. In these posts, the authors raised concerns that several papers co-authored by Gino contained manipulated or fraudulent data. “We discovered evidence of fraud in papers spanning over a decade, including papers published quite recently (in 2020),” the blog stated. The findings prompted Data Colada and a group of unnamed researchers to share their concerns with Harvard Business School in the fall of 2021.

Before these allegations surfaced, Gino had authored over 140 scholarly papers and received multiple awards for her work in organizational psychology and behavioral science. However, scrutiny intensified as more researchers began to question the validity of her studies, some of which had significant influence on the field.

In response to the allegations, Gino filed lawsuits against both the authors of the Data Colada blog and Harvard University itself. Legal proceedings are reportedly still underway, with certain aspects of the case unresolved. Throughout the ordeal, Gino has maintained her innocence. On her personal website, she asserted, “I did not commit academic fraud. I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result. I did not falsify data to bolster any result. I did not commit the offense I am accused of. Period.”

Despite repeated attempts by journalists to reach Gino for further comment following Harvard’s announcement, she has not responded publicly since posting her denial of the allegations. The reverberations of the case extend beyond Harvard, sparking new debates about academic integrity, the peer review process, and the mechanisms universities use to police research misconduct.

As legal proceedings continue and Harvard faces broader questions about its academic policies, the case serves as a notable example of the complexities involved in addressing alleged research fraud at the highest levels of academia.