Allegations of research misconduct and “fabricated results” involving an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering has prompted the federal government to cancel a grant worth more than $2 million.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) cancelled the grant effective last month, according to a letter obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to the U of M. 

Federal investigators found the Principal Investigator, Dr. Sayan Biswas, an assistant professor at the U of M, made an “admission that he fabricated research results and data” related to the project, which aimed to reduce pollution from “pipe flares” typically found at fracking operations. 

An attorney for Biswas calls the government’s conclusions a “gross exaggeration,” but records reviewed by 5 INVESTIGATES show university administrators knew about allegations of misconduct for more than a year.

Biswas remained employed at the U of M on a salary of $113,233, according to the university.

The new revelation comes at a time when the university is already under scrutiny for its handling of plagiarism allegations involving another professor, Rachel Hardeman, who has since resigned. 

Early warnings, no action

Late Thursday, an attorney for Biswas told 5 INVESTIGATES that the assistant professor used “simulated data” in his research results submitted to the government.

“The physics are sound,” said Biswas’s attorney Kurt Glaser. “He did not declare the correct type of data when he should have.”

The university declined multiple requests for interviews, but in a statement, a spokesperson said it “fully reviews misconduct allegations.”

Yet the DOE repeatedly called out U of M administrators for not doing enough to address concerns about Biswas reported to the university as early as 2023.

Federal investigators identified “shortcomings” in the university’s process when “conducting inquiries into allegations of research misconduct,” according to the letter from ARPA-E at the end of March.

Questions about the university’s handling of the latest scandals, even more than the alleged misconduct itself, are the greatest concern for Richard Painter, a U of M law professor and the former chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush. 

“There absolutely should have been intervention back in 2023 as soon as there was talk of misconduct,” Painter said. “There is too much emphasis in our university on a faculty governance system that is structured to conceal misconduct.”

After the university declined to arrange an interview with the dean of the College of Science and Engineering, 5 INVESTIGATES reached out to nine additional people in leadership positions – from the General Counsel to those in charge of ethics and compliance at the university’s Research and Innovation Office.

Not one has responded. 

“It’s about the money,” Painter said. “University administrators feel beholden to the faculty and do not want to call out misconduct by faculty members.”

In a second statement from the university late Thursday, it said it is committed “to research ethics and integrity, continuously monitoring and improving our processes and fostering a culture of excellence.”

‘Culture of noncompliance’

The alleged misconduct involving Biswas and taxpayer money is frustratingly familiar to Michael Hsu, a former member of the U of M Board of Regents.

“There are a lot of people who are aware of what’s going on, and this is what I call the ‘culture of noncompliance,’” Hsu said. 

That choice of words angered some of Hsu’s fellow regents in 2019 when he reacted to another report by 5 INVESTIGATES that uncovered a former professor, Aaron Doering, charged the university for tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses, including expensive trips around the world. 

Doering later resigned and Hsu lost his bid for reelection to the board.

“I actually believed there was a culture of noncompliance before I even publicly said it,” Hsu said. “And I’m disappointed in the university because it’s harmful not only to the university but the stakeholders, all the citizens of the state.”

Biswas is currently on family/medical leave unrelated to the investigation, according to a university spokesperson.

“We’re in the process of trying to work with the University of Minnesota and DOE to try to resolve the allegations correctly and perhaps even restart the program,” Glaser said.

The Department of Energy notified the university that its decision to cancel the ARPA-E grant will remain in the federal government’s database for five years, potentially affecting the U of M’s ability to secure funding in the future. 

“There’s something about the way the system is being run right now that’s just not working,” Hsu said. “Unless you actually deal with these situations in a serious and transparent manner, you’re going to continue to have these problems occur.”