an interesting dilemma...

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Happy Take This Job and Shove It day, AD!!

YUP! WooFuckingHoo day!

Good luck, AD!

[windsor]

IT AIN'T OVER UNTIL THE....

...OH, WELL THEN...IT IS OVER !!

CONGRATS ...you've proven the NCAA adage works in the real world to...Survive...Advance

Next Stop...GALVESTON!!!

[IowaDevil]

AD you have a wonderful day today! Have fun but save the bridges - you never know when you might need one of them!

[lawgrad91]

Savor the moment, AD! And do get the most expensive thing on the menu.

[Lavabe]

Savor the moment, AD! And do get the most expensive thing on the menu.

Some place nice would be ... what, Charlie Gitto's?

[ArkieDukie]

Savor the moment, AD! And do get the most expensive thing on the menu.

Some place nice would be ... what, Charlie Gitto's?

Ymmm ... Charlie Gitto's. Should go there before I leave.

We went to the Downtown Athletic Club. They have a good buffet.

[DukePA]

Yay!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5roebfnD-bc

[ArkieDukie]

I had a chat with my boss this morning. The answer I got was that my name has to be on the paper because the PI pays 20% of my salary. I tried the "I didn't do the data analysis" argument; the response was that they pay 20% of my salary for my expert opinion. I then pointed out as diplomatically as possible that I'm blown off any time I raise concerns about interpretation. The one thing I didn't say is that the boss has actually sided against me in these arguments on multiple occasions. The final upshot is that I have to go through all the data that she's reporting in the paper and that we'll meet with the person doing the analysis (without her boss) and go through it all. That's all well and good, assuming it actually works. I have my doubts. I've been thrown under the bus in too many meetings with this particular PI to believe that it won't be the case here as well. I'd love to be proven wrong. In any case, I'll either feel better about what's in the paper or the boss and I will be having this same conversation again. One funny note: idiot PI got my name wrong in the draft of the manuscript. I have lost count of the number of times I've told these people that I use my middle initial in my name when I publish; they omitted it. This may sound minor, but if you go to PubMed and do an author search using my first and middle initials this paper wouldn't show up. I know this because I have another paper from a previous job where this happened. Now ask me if I've corrected it in the current manuscript.

Believe me, this is an interesting and way way way too familiar situation you are in. I feel ya pain, I do!
You see, I worked at Duke for 6 years. In clinical trials. I was one of a team of 12 data collectors on various clinical trials. We collected the data, analyzed it the first round then it went to the doctors and powers that be for their final interpretation before it being presented to the public.
And it never fails, they (the docs and powers) will always interpret their stuff to the best possible light (bending the truth and reality too) to make their study (and them) look very good.
There was one study where the premise was to prove the drug was superior to another. Fine, no problem. Until at the end it was discovered it was not better than the drug and in a few indications, it was worse.
The final analyst: The drug was a "not inferior, but a safe alternate to drug xxx". What a farce! Yet the docs and powers once again came out smelling like a rose and we data minions were just left once again smarting.

So to you I say.... it is what it is. It happened before and from what you wrote, yet another similar scenario will be playing out once again. All you can really do is to do your job, express your concern and move forward. Moving forward can mean with the job or finding something else. With the current job prospects out there, it is a crazy gamble. Do ya feel lucky?
How do you get uncredited from a piece of shi... er ummm work that you do not wish to be associated with due to the "creative" interpretation? Sounds like you are between the 'ol rock and hard place.
What's it really worth to ya to "grin and bear it" or bend over and take it up the tailpipe versus speak your mind and follow it with action? Whatever you decide, whatever creative or imaginative things you come up with the deal or not deal with this.... we are behind ya!!!!!!!

I was re-reading this thread to remind myself of the journey that has led me to this place, and I came across this excellent post. It seems as though knights68 and I went through somewhat similar journeys at completely different institutions. The common link? Both are excellent, top tier research institutions. Who knew that knights68's words would end up being so prophetic. Remember that, at this point in the game, we really didn't know how the whole situation would play out. Unfortunately I happened to be in a position with the perfect storm of bad ingredients. Sounds like knights68 was, too.

People like PPI get ahead because they bring in prestigious grants and get publications in high profile journals. The fact that the results are crap doesn't matter. When poorly designed experiments with falsified results get high profile publications and bring in more grant money, the institution wins. There's always going to be a Minion who will do whatever it takes to make the boss happy. The other key ingredient is political players like PHB. He himself doesn't have tons of clout, so he attaches himself to people who do have this clout and then does whatever it takes to keep them happy. In my story, The Minion and PHB shared the common goal of keeping PPI happy. Minion fudged data to make PPI look good, and PHB backed her. I am convinced that PHB pulled in political favors to get The Minion's "work" featured on the cover of the journal (recall that the journal editor is someone that PHB used to work for) in repayment for PPI's support when PHB was up for promotion. I suspect that I would be expected to behave in a similar manner if I had accepted PHB's counter-offer. The bolded section above is at the root of why I turned down my boss' counter-offer. Attractive though it was on the surface, I knew that this situation would come up again and I would be expected to play along or be thrown under the bus (again). All in all, I'd say this was my professional gut-check. For me, at least, a position at a prestigious institution was not worth the price.

I'm not saying that every position at a high profile research institution is bad. Both knights68 and I just had the bad luck of getting an unlucky draw.

[ArkieDukie]

The very sad thing about academic papers is that there is so much crap that gets past the reviewers. Every paper must be read with a critical, skeptical eye. Way too much bullshit gets published.

That's exactly right, DPA. And, as an added bonus, some labs are known for publishing questionable data. I can think of one prominent lab in my field for whom you can only believe about 50% of their published data - that's a quote from my boss. Call me crazy, but I don't want to have that type of reputation.

A semi-funny follow-up on this comment: the prominent lab that I mentioned in my post was recently reamed in the discussion section of an article in which the (also prominent) principal investigator tried to figure out why his results didn't match those of the prominent lab. Lo and behold, a closer examination of the results proved that, not only were the numbers exaggerated, there was a discrepancy regarding data collection in the methods section. The latter I could easily see as being a careless mistake; the former was not. This article was featured in the same journal as the infamous Minion/PPI article. The upshot is that Fudgy Lab's results are being called into question now by lots of high profile people in the field. Another colleague says that our annual professional meeting could be very fun this year, as he expects people to really grill the speaker at any oral presentation featuring work from Fudgy Lab. We're planning to show up for all of these talks that we can, simply for the entertainment value.

I came very close to sending a copy of the article to PPI and The Minion, since they model one of their projects after Fudgy Lab, just to show them what can happen when you intentionally publish fabricated data. I also resisted the urge to send The Minion an article that I received from American Chemical Society, advertising their ongoing series of articles/webcasts on "Ethics in Publication."

[ArkieDukie]

The Minion has just about pushed me over the edge. The B!tch sent an e-mail to me late this afternoon, copying my boss, asking me to "help her" process her data files. "Help her" means do it for her, especially in this case - it's not something she can do. Being a responsible person and on top of my job, I started processing her d@mn data files this morning. It was all I could do to NOT say something about not taking my orders from her. The response was a simple, "The files have been processing since early this morning."

My co-workers and I are fed up with The Minion. She comes into our lab and issues orders like she owns the place. She expects us to drop whatever we're doing and help her when she asks. She has actually started issuing orders to me when I'm literally in the middle of typing a sentence, and I'm not the only person she's done that to. When we don't immediately start helping her, she whines to her boss, who then gets on our boss. In fact, she got one of my co-workers in trouble because he didn't drop everything the instant she asked.

It seems to me like my boss shouldn't like someone other than him issuing orders to his employees, especially since she's somewhat deceptive when she does it. She tells people to do things, saying my boss said to do it, when he has not done so. I'm not sure why the heck he hasn't issued a cease and desist order for her, unless he's afraid of ticking off Pushy PI. I still say that it's not her place to order us around, and my boss shouldn't let her do so.

Okay, sending a hefty round of shin kicks and ending rant now...

Another funny anecdote: yesterday, on the way to my going-away lunch, Blustery and PHB were talking about some work that The Minion had requested. Minion by-passed PHB and sent the request directly to Blustery. PHB instructed him to ignore all requests that do not come directly from him. Apparently The Minion has been told this and has chosen to ignore it. PHB expressed a desire to reign in The Minion's excessive demands.

Wonder how long his new policy will last. My guess is that it will last until PPI complains. PHB has pandered to PPI and The Minion up to this point; it will be difficult to change their ingrained attitude of entitlement now.

[ArkieDukie]

You currently find yourself in a situation that can be used to answer the inevitable interview question - how have you handled a difficult situation in the past.

I'm not sure I'd include "discussing it with my invisible friends" as part of the handling.

Probably not.

I actually referred a friend to this thread yesterday to get the dirt on what's going on. This friend is someone who's passing my CV along but has, up until now, not known the reasons for my job search.

The friend I referred to this thread is the one who is responsible for helping me get my new job.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

As my life is prone to doing, it got complicated again just as all the celebrations were going on around here! Hope you don't think I wasn't deeeelighted with the way all this was turning out for you, AD. I've really only had enough time at the computer to pay bills and lurk a little.

The only down side to this for me is knowing you won't be there in grand old St. Louis. I liked picturing you there holding down the fort since I can rarely get there anymore. But, I can hardly wait for the pictures of you in your 10 gallon hat and cowboy boots!

Love ya, kiddo and am very happy to know you've spent your last maddening day with all those jerks in that lab.

You go, girl!!!!
Love, Ima

[ArkieDukie]

Also having trouble responding to Lavabe. My boss is nowhere my list of references. I'm using people who can testify to the quality of my work, one of whom is another senior person who recently left our lab and can testify to my boss's ways. Hopefully the places I apply will not contact the (insert long string of expletives).

My plan of action is to do an absolutely stellar job on the few things I have to do during my remaining time in my current position, hopefully short. Stellar enough that my boss forgets why he's mad at me and starts to value my work and respect my opinion again. That's when I want to hand in my resignation. Then, just after I've departed for greener pastures, my boss will realize that NO ONE ELSE IN THE LAB KNOWS HOW TO DO WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING. If he comes to this realization before I leave, I'll have an opportunity to go Windsor on him. (I will suggest that he hire The Minion away from Pushy PI, since he seems generally pleased with the quality of her work.)

To dream the impossible dream...

My plan of action here also ended up being somewhat prophetic. I think PHB has a clue now. He's a bit late, though.

As an aside, here's the latest episode in The Brilliance of NuBarbie: she's been putting regular (non-rechargable) batteries in the lab's battery charger. To top it off, yesterday Blustery had to spend SEVERAL minutes with her, going through the proper way to put batteries into the charger. Not only was she putting the wrong batteries in, she was putting them in upside-down. He also reiterated (and illustrated) which batteries were the correct ones to use with the charger. It's a wonder she hasn't burned the building down.

[ArkieDukie]

The infamous manuscript is finally published. It's featured on the cover of the most prominent journal in my field. I took a look at the editorial board for the journal, and the editor of the journal is someone that PHB used to work for. Now I've solved the mystery of how this pile of crap was accepted for publication.

Although they said they fixed everything, a closer reading reveals that they did not. The work is still protrayed as coming from a single experiment. I need to decide how to proceed.

I read the manuscript again somewhat recently, when I was trying to decide if I needed to take further action. They basically "fixed" the issues in such a way that the inconsistencies aren't apparent unless you read the entire paper. Here's what they did: they basically left everything alone in the intro and results sections (and in all the figures) and addressed the necessary corrections in the discussion section. The discussion section is filled with multiple instances of, "Oh, by the way, we really did X, Y, and Z." I'm sorry; that makes them look worse. Did they really think it was better to say, "By the way, that sequence coverage we cited as being from a single experiment? That's really a composite of results from 4 experiments. Oh, and those replicates? They really weren't replicates in the true sense of the word. They were from a completely different experiment." It looks like sloppy amateur work. I think The Minion wrote it.

I'm going to leave it alone. Anyone in the field who reads this paper will recognize it for the that it is. In fact, they did such a sloppy patch job that people with limited knowledge in my field would be able to tell that it's . Yep, still glad my name isn't on the paper. PHB's is, though.

[ArkieDukie]

As my life is prone to doing, it got complicated again just as all the celebrations were going on around here! Hope you don't think I wasn't deeeelighted with the way all this was turning out for you, AD. I've really only had enough time at the computer to pay bills and lurk a little.

The only down side to this for me is knowing you won't be there in grand old St. Louis. I liked picturing you there holding down the fort since I can rarely get there anymore. But, I can hardly wait for the pictures of you in your 10 gallon hat and cowboy boots!

Love ya, kiddo and am very happy to know you've spent your last maddening day with all those jerks in that lab.

You go, girl!!!!
Love, Ima

Thanks, Ima! to you and another round of for the OP. Hope he's doing well today!

[CathyCA]

AD, I am so happy for you that PHB, NuBarbie, Blustery, The Minion, et al are in your rear-view mirror.

Congratulations on surviving, triumphing, and for securing a new job in an exciting new city. You will have so much fun going to watch basketball games with Kenny Dennard next year.

[shereec]

AD, I know you've got a lot to do to pack up your home, but take a bit of time this week that is just for you - you've earned it! Happy new adventures to you!!

[captmojo]

It certainly seems that your time spent in review of circumstances has been theraputic. It should relieve you of any feelings of 'Buyer's Remorse' in relation to your decision to make the move forward in your career. I believe that all here, feel that you've made the right move and are glad to see you out of what would remain perputual stressville.

Best of luck at new place, in new city. Leave all the past behind, but not so far as to be willing to offer your service in the future to those folks without a cost to them. You have earned it.

[Very Duke Blue]

What all of the above said. I hope to see you in Galviston sometime this year. Good luck with your new job and new home.

[ArkieDukie]

I had to resurrect this thread to give you the latest installation of this saga, or maybe I should call it the next chapter. Several pages into this thread, I reported having a meeting with my boss in which informed him that Minion was pulling the same stunt in another project that she pulled for the one leading to the (IMO) fraudulent manuscript. Basically, I'd tell Minion that her analysis was incorrect, and she'd go above my head to PHB to get his blessing. "After all, PHB is the expert in the field and they have to rely on his judgment" (never mind the fact that he'd rubber-stamp any statement made by Minion for fear of drawing the ire of PPI). Anyway, I figured I did my duty in informing PHB of Minion's duplicity, and from there on out it was his duty to fix the problem.

Flash forward to today. I did a PubMed search to look for the latest papers from PHB. Lo and behold, there was a newly published paper with Minion as first author, PPI as corresponding author, and PHB as 3rd author. Yep, the paper on the project that I warned my boss about. If you read the analysis it sounds fine overall but with a few questionable steps. Then, if you look at the key piece of data around which the entire paper is centered, you will find the data that Minion got PHB to approve over my objections. It's so blatantly wrong that, when I showed it to one of my new colleagues, she immediately picked up on the fact that it was wrong and wondered how it had gotten past the reviewers. I should mention here that all I did was show her the figure from the manuscript and ask her opinion. Thankfully I'm not on the list of coauthors, but they did put me in the acknowledgments section again.

Whenever I have doubts about my decision to leave my old job, all I need to do is look back at this paper and thank my lucky stars that I got the heck out of there. My respect for my former boss diminishes every time he actually signs off on garbage like this. He's destroying his scientific credibility in order to gain political favors from PPI. That strategy seems short-sighted and somewhat self-destructive to me, but what do I know - I'm just a chemist.