The president of Stanford has his reputation under the microscope because of scientific research papers he co-authored years ago.
It's a story involving detectives, ethics, and concerns about inaccuracy.
"The problem is that there are concerns about the images in these papers, and the figures in these papers,” said Dr. Elisabeth Bik, science integrity consultant.
She was called in to investigate papers appearing in The EMBO Journal.
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The concern, first reported in the Stanford Daily, is that University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne may have helped to create and publish papers knowing they contained errors.
"His name is an author on these papers, and in some cases he's the corresponding author, so he's the ultimate responsible person for that paper,” said Bik.
NBC Bay Area reached out to Stanford about the investigation and received a statement reading in part, "The university will assess the allegations presented. In the case of the papers in question that list President Tessier-Lavigne as an author, the process will be overseen by the board of trustees."
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An investigation ethicists say should be independent.
"Making sure that every T is crossed and every I is dotted and that there are no manipulated images,” said Don Heider, chief executive of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.
The EMBO Journal is also reviewing the study.
"When it comes to academic research, especially the kind of research he does, science is built on this kind of research, and science that could affect human beings,” said Heider
Tessier-Lavigne is well-known in the biotech field, having worked at Genentech, before teaching, then leading Stanford.
