Wellcome Sanger Institute Leaders Accused of Bullying

Several members of senior management at the prestigious UK research center face claims of sexism and mistreatment of staff.

Written byJef Akst
| 2 min read

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Update (October 30): An investigation by an independent lawyer “failings found in the way in which people have been managed,” but cleared Wellcome Sanger Institute Director Mike Stratton of discrimination, harassment, and misuse of funds, Nature reports.

ABOVE: WIKIMEDIA, MAGNUS MANSKE

The Wellcome Trust will be looking into several members of upper-level management at its Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, including director Sir Michael Stratton, regarding a suite of allegations from 10 former and current staff members. Claims include bullying and mistreatment, pressuring employees to quit, and not investigating grievances—problems, the complainants say, that female staff face more commonly than male staff do.

Many of the complaints concern the turnover of staff at Sanger. The Guardian reports that the institution stands to lose some 25 percent of its faculty, including high-level positions such as the chief of scientific operations, within a year of receiving a regular five-year grant of more ...

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  • Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.

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