Harvard University has revoked the tenure of Francesca Gino, a professor at Harvard Business School, following years of allegations regarding data fraud. A spokesperson confirmed the decision but offered no additional details due to policies on personnel matters. Gino, who gained prominence for her research on honesty and ethics, was placed on administrative leave in 2023 when allegations of falsifying data emerged.
Gino joined Harvard Business School in 2010 and served as the head of the Negotiations, Organizations, and Markets Unit from 2018 to 2021. Her work has been widely covered in major media outlets. In 2021, a group of researchers from the blog Data Colada analyzed several of Gino’s studies and claimed to have found evidence of fraudulent data, which they presented to the university. Following an 18-month internal investigation, Gino was found responsible for “research misconduct” and was placed on unpaid leave in June 2023.
Gino subsequently filed a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard and Data Colada, asserting that the investigation processes were unfair and contravened the university’s tenure policies. While a federal judge dismissed the defamation claims in her lawsuit, she retained her claims regarding contractual violations by Harvard. Gino has since launched a website to address these allegations, asserting her innocence and stating that she never engaged in academic fraud. She emphasized her intention to prove her case in court, highlighting that she believes the allegations against her are unfounded. This incident marks a rare revocation of tenure at Harvard, a university that hasn’t seen such actions since the 1940s.
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