Terry Magnuson, the vice chancellor for research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s medical school, has resigned from that post two days after the U.S. Office of Research Integrity said that he had admitted to plagiarizing text in an NIH grant application.
As we reported March 8, Magnuson
“engaged in research misconduct by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly plagiarizing text” from two guides, material from a company that makes sequencing kits, and a review article, according to the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.
Magnuson did not respond to our requests for comment earlier this week about whether the finding would have any effect on his positions at UNC. But in a letter today to the “Carolina Community,” chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz and provost and chief academic officer J. Christopher Clemens wrote:
Today, we accepted Terry Magnuson’s resignation from his position as vice chancellor for research. The three of us have agreed that this decision is in the best interest of the University.
Terry has served as vice chancellor since 2016 and is also the Kay M. & Van L. Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor of Genetics in the UNC School of Medicine and was the founding chair of the department of genetics. He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
During his tenure, Terry has transformed Carolina’s research operation with awards now topping $1 billion. He has broken barriers with initiatives like Creativity Hubs, a seed funding initiative that creates evolving virtual research networks, concentrating interdisciplinary talent and resources on bold ideas. In addition, he was a key partner on developing the concept for the Institute for Convergent Science, along with representatives from the College of Arts & Sciences and Innovate Carolina. His contributions in this role have been significant and will have long-lasting impacts on our research enterprise.
On Tuesday, the federal Office of Research Integrity posted a finding of research misconduct involving a grant application submitted by Terry in his role as a faculty researcher. The University has a very specific role it must play in these matters, and it followed its federally mandated policy regarding research misconduct. Terry accepts responsibility for his mistake and will share more with you about his experience tomorrow.
We have asked Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate dean for research at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition, to serve as interim vice chancellor for research. In her current role, Gordon-Larsen leads the Gillings School’s $200 million research enterprise and is a leading nutritional science researcher. We thank her for her willingness to step in to ensure a smooth transition.
Terry has left an indelible mark on Carolina, and we thank him for his service. His last day as vice chancellor will be March 11.
Hat tip: Theresa Defino
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The major metric to describe TM’s success is in the first sentence:
“During his tenure, Terry has transformed Carolina’s research operation with awards now topping $1 billion.”
Its all about the money….
Yes, and how do you think he got the money?
The comments are spot on!!! This is the sad state of science today. All chancellors and Presidents care about are MONEY… This is the mantra of administration. there are no ethics or standards, no to mention equity ..that is for windbags!! Also, this is why no one trusts people in scientific/leadership positions. This is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak!!!!
I agree this is the action that you would uncover from a lazy undergraduate not a so called, “Kay M. & Van L. Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor of Genetics in the UNC School of Medicine that was the founding chair of the Department of Genetics.” Not to mention, he should be canned for sure!! However, that won’t happen because it all about the Benjamins!!! Sadly, my passions for science are destroyed daily by these incompetent boobs and those in charge of research institutions! Let’s take a closer look at the NIH and NSF, these places need to be cleaned out (obviously not all scientists are in this category but there are many, too many!!).
I would think everything the man has ever published now needs to be investigated. If he did it once and was caught, be likely did it before but wasn’t caught.
This is the sort of behaviour I would expect from the bottom third of undergraduate students in my classes – not from “world-class” scientists.
Notice of research misconduct
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-22-097.html