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New Delhi: A scientist’s “authoritarian conduct” in managing his laboratory at the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru was partly attributed to data manipulation carried out in the laboratory for a research paper, an independent investigation by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) ) concluded.
The TIFR Academic Ethics Committee (TAEC) investigated allegations of data manipulation in a paper published from the NCBS laboratory. This paper, published in October last year, was on “Discovery of the iron-sensing bacterial riboswitch.”
The investigation concluded that although the paper withdrawal was done in a professional manner, Principal Investigator (PI) Aarti Ramesh was not completely correct in her public statements after the misconduct was discovered.
In addition, check report good, published last week, said there was some substance in the PI’s allegations of authoritarian conduct in her laboratory environment and that the entire blame was unfairly attributed to one researcher – the study’s first author.
Based on its findings, TIFR has recommended that Ramesh be counseled to be more professional in his scientific practices and in his conduct in the laboratory.
ThePrint reached out to Ramesh via email but the scientist declined to comment.
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Allegations of ‘digital alteration’ of images
In October 2020, a team of researchers from NCBS – Siladitya Bandyopadhyay, Susmitnarayan Choudhary, Dolly Mehta and Aarti Ramesh – published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal Nature Chemical Biology.
However, soon after the paper was published, experts began to notice discrepancies in the images included in the study. Many of the images appear to have been digitally altered.
these pictures were deployment of On PubPeer – An open, global platform that allows experts to post comments on published studies.
Ramesh initially defended the work, and soon after the concerns shared all the raw data from the lab on the PubPeer website. However, commenters on the site pointed out that even the raw images contained evidence of digital manipulation.
According to a statement made by NCBS, the institution initiated an inquiry conducted by a committee including an independent external member.
According to NCBS, Ramesh cooperated fully in the investigation and in November last year, a report was submitted to NCBS director Satyajit Meyer. The report concluded that the image manipulation did indeed take place, and was carried out by a single individual who was no longer affiliated with the NCBS.
Ramesh then started the process of withdrawing the paper, as per the recommendations of the committee. The paper was finally withdrawn on June 30 this year.
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investigation and its results
In a personal statement that Ramesh deployment of On her website after withdrawing, she accused a writer of manipulation (though she did not name her in the initial statement, but it later became clear that she was talking about Bandyopadhyay), about which she Said that he had suddenly left the laboratory in no time. Days of investigation without changing the data related to the project.
However, in July this year a freelance journalist revealed Leaked through a series of emails that first author Bandyopadhyay had been verbally harassed by Ramesh while working in the lab, and that Ramesh’s conduct was unprofessional. Bandyopadhyay admitted to fabricated the data, but said he did so because there was undue pressure on him (from Ramesh) to arrive at predetermined results.
He also denied allegations that he had “suddenly” left the institution.
institute, later Statement, then acknowledged that an email received by the NCBS director from one of the paper’s authors contained “accusations of pressure, unprofessional conduct and a stressful work environment in the Ramesh laboratory.”
The TIFR Academic Ethics Committee evaluated all aspects of the case, interviewed all concerned and published a statement last week.
It concluded that there was compelling evidence to indicate that the image manipulation and result falsification in the withdrawn paper was entirely done by the first two authors – Siladitya Bandyopadhyay and Susmitnarayan Choudhury – both of whom falsified the data. is accepted.
The third co-authors Dolly Mehta and Ramesh were unaware of this.
However, Ramesh, who is the paper’s corresponding author and the laboratory’s PI, will have to bear overall responsibility for not subjecting these ‘results’ to proper scientific scrutiny before the paper is communicated for publication, NCBS reports. Having said.
The committee noted that Ramesh’s scientific negligence and lack of diligence while communicating the paper contributed significantly to this untoward incident.
While the committee is of the view that any lapse in Ramesh’s behavior does not justify dishonesty by any of his lab members, “he should be immediately counseled to be more professional in his scientific practices and in his conduct in the laboratory”.
The report said that TIFR may also set up a student support cell across all its campuses where students at all levels can raise any issue, whether academic or non-academic.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
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