'Reputation is everything in science': Former professor slammed for using dead person's name on Parkinson's study
A former university professor is now a convicted fraudster, after he fabricated a breakthrough study that gave false hope to sufferers of Parkinson's disease.
Bruce Murdoch used the name of a dead person in a forged consent form, something he attempted to cover-up when he faked finding a new treatment for the disease.
The respect for Murdoch, once earned over a long career in science, has been lost since his guilty plea.
Murdoch was a trusted professor in the the University of Queensland's neuroscience lab.
Journals even published his made-up study, thinking it was credible.
The university investigated his phony study between 2011 and 2014, finding Murdoch had forged 20 consent forms; one of the named participants was deceased.
Murdoch also accepted a research grant of $20,000 for the study, a sum that he has since paid back.
Money wasn’t Murdoch’s motivation though as the funds he accepted were actually spent on research.
It’s believed a combination of depression and a cancer diagnosis had affected his judgment.
In court on Thursday, Magistrate Tina Pevitera slammed Murdoch for giving false hope to Parkinson's sufferers.
“Your false research was such as to give false hope to Parkinson's researchers and sufferers,” she said.
Professor George Mellick told 7 News Murdoch’s false research had an impact on people with Parkinson's, because they were seeking a cure.
“We have a very small amount of funds, so when you’re giving funds to people who are doing fraudulent research it’s even doubly disappointing,” Professor Mellick said.
“Reputation is everything in science,” he said.
Murdoch’s lies have had a damaging impact on the university.
He’s also trashed his own reputation and has been shunned by his colleagues.
Professor Mellick said instances of fraudulent research were uncommon in the field.
“This is very rare in the scientific world,” he said.
The Brisbane Magistrate’s Court also verified this by being unable to find any similar cases.
Murdoch narrowly avoided jail time, he was handed a two year suspended sentence.
News break – March 31
