LA JOLLA, CA - — A renowned cancer expert at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been ousted as editor of one of the world’s top science journals after being implicated in a deepening controversy over how the center treats female faculty. Inder Verma confirmed to the San Diego Union-Tribune that he has been placed on temporary leave as editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), effective Jan. 1.
He said the move stems from lawsuits that Salk professors Vicky Lundblad, Katherine Jones and Beverly Emerson separately filed last July, alleging that the institute systemically discriminates against women in pay, promotions and access to grants and potential donors.
Salk President Elizabeth Blackburn has said the allegations are untrue, but the lawsuits apparently factored in her decision to announce recently that she will retire as president late next summer, after barely two and a half years on the job.
The controversy also has raised questions about whether the allegations will make it difficult for the Salk Institute to recruit high-quality scientists and executives.
Verma has been a bit more public about recent events.
He told the Union-Tribune that he sent an email to the editorial board of PNAS that states: “I am writing to let you know that the NAS Council has decided to place me on temporary leave as editor in chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, effective January 1, 2018 and until the resolution of the employment-related lawsuits filed against the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, where I am a professor.
“Being part of the NAS family and having the privilege of serving as the PNAS editor in chief have been among the great honors of my career. “As you can imagine, the council’s decision saddens me deeply, particularly because the lawsuits have nothing to do with my work with NAS and I am not named individually for any claim. Lundblad did mention Verma in her lawsuit, saying that he was one of the leaders who made it difficult for women to succeed at the Salk Institute. Verma, 70, joined the Salk faculty in the 1970s and rose to international acclaim, notably for his insights about oncogenes, which have the potential to cause cancer. Verma became the journal’s editor in 2011 and has held the position while continuing to run his genetics laboratory.
Salk President Elizabeth Blackburn has said the allegations are untrue, but the lawsuits apparently factored in her decision to announce recently that she will retire as president late next summer, after barely two and a half years on the job.
The controversy also has raised questions about whether the allegations will make it difficult for the Salk Institute to recruit high-quality scientists and executives.
Verma has been a bit more public about recent events.
He told the Union-Tribune that he sent an email to the editorial board of PNAS that states: “I am writing to let you know that the NAS Council has decided to place me on temporary leave as editor in chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, effective January 1, 2018 and until the resolution of the employment-related lawsuits filed against the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, where I am a professor.
“Being part of the NAS family and having the privilege of serving as the PNAS editor in chief have been among the great honors of my career. “As you can imagine, the council’s decision saddens me deeply, particularly because the lawsuits have nothing to do with my work with NAS and I am not named individually for any claim. Lundblad did mention Verma in her lawsuit, saying that he was one of the leaders who made it difficult for women to succeed at the Salk Institute. Verma, 70, joined the Salk faculty in the 1970s and rose to international acclaim, notably for his insights about oncogenes, which have the potential to cause cancer. Verma became the journal’s editor in 2011 and has held the position while continuing to run his genetics laboratory.
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