MU professor cleared of academic misconduct charge

Charges of academic misconduct have been dropped against three MU scientists, including lead researcher R. Michael Roberts, who had been under investigation for allegedly doctoring photographs that accompanied research published in a prominent scientific journal last year.

MU officials determined that there was not enough evidence to file misconduct charges against two of the article’s authors, Mayandi Sivaguru and Hwan Yul Yong.

In a release issued through the MU News Bureau late Thursday afternoon, MU said evidence gathered by investigators does not support a charge that Roberts, curators’ professor of animal science and biochemistry, “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly” fabricated or falsified data or that he directed other individuals to do so.” His actions did not constitute “a significant departure from accepted practices of a relevant research community,” according to the release.

“I’m just sort of pleased it’s over with,” Roberts said Thursday night. “The university has to do due diligence. Sometimes, working with university committees can be very frustrating.”

An investigation of research misconduct by the fourth author of the published research, Kaushik Deb, continues.

The investigation stems from a paper published a year ago in Science magazine in which Roberts’ team argued that cells in a mouse embryo were marked at an early stage to become either a placenta or a fetus. Images that accompany the paper came under scrutiny after a scientist from outside MU sent a letter to the magazine’s editor questioning their veracity.