False CV prof quits post

'The member of staff admitted falsifying his list of research publications and resigned with immediate effect'

A senior academic at Liverpool John Moores University has resigned following the discovery of academic fraud by Whistleblowers.

Derek Gadsdon, professor of medical cell pathology at LJMU's department of biomedical sciences, has been stripped of his professorship by the vice-chancellor after Whistleblowers' discovery that he falsified his list of research publications. He has resigned.

Last week, The THES drew the university's attention to the fact that Professor Gadsdon, an emeritus professor with more than 20 years' service at LJMU, had claimed authorship of articles in refereed journals that did not exist. He is described as "very research active" in university literature and he had claimed authorship of 98 publications on his CV. But a search uncovered just ten papers written in the past 20 years.

The university said this week: "Allegations of an extremely serious nature were made last week... The university, at once, instigated an official investigation, as a result of which the member of staff admitted falsifying his list of research publications and resigned with immediate effect. The vice-chancellor has formally withdrawn his title professor."