Renowned neuroscience researcher Thomas Jessell, PhD, was terminated 2 days ago from his position at Columbia University in New York City. The details surrounding his termination remain largely unknown, although the university did provide a formal statement.
“Columbia has ended the administrative positions of Dr. Thomas Jessell and will be winding down the Jessell lab at CUMC. These decisions follow an investigation that revealed serious violations of University policies and values governing the behavior of faculty members in an academic environment. The University will fulfill its responsibility to close the lab in a manner that both preserves valuable research and helps those involved to continue to pursue their careers. Dr. Jessell has been out of the lab since the investigation began.”
The statement continues: “Columbia is dedicated to protecting the welfare of all members of the institution and the integrity of the academic mission. Our standards and policies, including those at issue here, reflect the character of our community, and violations are, accordingly, taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and when confirmed, acted upon.
The university plans to support and reassign mentors to the lab’s post- doc researchers and students so they can continue their research projects.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which supported Jessell’s research since 1985, took similar action and terminated his role as an investigator.
According to a report in Science , Kathryn Brown, chief of communications at the Institute, said that the termination was “unrelated to review of his science,” a view consistent with the explanation provided by a Columbia spokesperson.
Medscape Medical News contacted Jessell for comment, but he did not respond by press time.
Jessell gained prominence for his work on how sensory and motor neurons control movement. Specifically, Jessell and his team were investigating the developmental organization and function of neural connections through spinal circuits involved in the control of movement; the diversity and connectivity among motor neurons; and how the coordination of motor neurons depends on sensory feedback from proprioceptive sensory neurons.
The 66-year-old scientist worked at Columbia University since 1985 and was a professor of biochemistry, biophysics, and neuroscience. In 2008, Jessell won the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. He was also director of Columbia University’s Kavli Institute for Brain Science and a director of the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Initiative.
For more Medscape Neurology news, join us on Facebook and Twitter
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar