The psychologist Tania Singer has resigned as Director of the Max-Planck-Institute for human cognitive and brain Sciences in Leipzig. The Max-Planck-society (MPG), confirmed on Wednesday on request to the daily mirror. Previously, the Online Portal “Buzzfeed News, Germany had reported” of the resignation.
In the opinion of the MPG it says: “to avoid a further escalation of the conflict and to enable all Participants to return to a more concentrated academic work, have agreed on the Max-Planck-society and the woman Singer, woman Singer, puts her leadership as the Director of low.”
Singer spoke of “communicative trouble”
Ahead of the reports of various media, according to which the world-renowned empathy-researcher, Singer, scientists from your Department of Social neuroscience for many years and being bullied have bullied – and especially Pregnant women. Singer had threatened the employees, yelling at them and they devalued. Furthermore, she was accused of, you have encouraged your Team to “hypothesis-compliant” work and employees insulted or not be dismissed if their results were in line with pre-determined theses. Compared to the science magazine “Science” had given several employees, to work with Singer mental stress disorders developed.
To the daily mirror, the Singer had referred to the allegations as “baseless”, she admitted, only communicative difficulties in problem situations, especially in relation to their work on the project “ReSource”. The MPG decided to still, the allegations to be investigated. In September of this year, the Max Planck President Martin Stratmann established a Commission of inquiry to settle the case. “This has presented in November 2018, a report, of the significant leadership confirmed misconduct,” in the opinion of the MPG.
a Former employee of the Singer said to “BuzzFeed News”, it had applied several dozen persons and in particular to the Commission. For the protection of employees, the Commission had Deneme Bonusu taken these individuals in anonymous Form only in the report, “although this complicates the opinion of the Director,” says the official Statement.
Singer is allowed to continue anyway
investigate a cause, a procedure for scientific misconduct against the Singer to initiate, not the Commission. And so the 48 is allowed to conduct research Year after your withdrawal. “You will continue your activity as a scientist without an Executive function outside of the Leipzig Institute in a small scale.” How this activity will look about the MPG did not provide information. For the protection of all Involved, both parties had to remain silent in the matter, agreed. Singer could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. It is since the end of 2017, in a Sabbatical. This was originally intended to calm the Situation. Now, however, the Commission of inquiry has established the facts.
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the abuse of power in science, the Max Planck researcher called the allegations “baseless”
Inga Barthels
The nationwide network of doctoral students of the Max-Planck-Institute “PhDnet” welcomed the decision, in particular, “that woman Singer will not have the management function more and to suffer no Nachwuchswissenschaftler_innen under your misconduct,” they wrote on Facebook. Future cases should, however, be “a sovereign, transparent and rapid handled”. In a position paper, the PhD students had already in the summer of 2018, abuse, steep hierarchies, a high publication pressure and a lack of Training in personnel management in academic leaders complained.
