Superconductivity physicist 'engaged in research misconduct,' UR says

Justin Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·2 min read

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias, who made international headlines in the scientific community several years ago with purported breakthroughs related to room-temperature superconductivity, "engaged in research misconduct," according to an internal university review.

It is only the latest blow for Dias. Major research journals have retracted his publications, concluding he misrepresented evidence and kept his research partners in the dark about key findings.

In an email, Dias said the problem lay with "an individual's opinion and apparent errors in understanding the data." He accused UR of predetermining the investigation.

"It is disheartening to see that my students have become victims of a premeditated and predetermined outcome by the University of Rochester," he wrote. "And these outcomes are all too often dictated by the Board of Trustees these days, a practice that is affecting students and faculty alike."

Earlier internal UR reviews cleared Dias of wrongdoing. The university did not release the full findings of those investigations or this most recent one but instead issued a summary statement.

"The University’s investigation by external experts identified data reliability concerns in those papers that confirm the appropriateness of those retractions," the statement reads in part, referring to retractions by the journals Nature, Physical Review Letters, and Chemical Communications. "The committee concluded, in accordance with University policy and federal regulations, that Dias engaged in research misconduct."

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias research

Dias' research had to do with superconductivity. Very high pressure and extremely cold temperatures can distort atoms' electron orbits, allowing for electricity to be conducted without energy loss. That would open the door for major advances in computing speed and many other fields, but the need for very low temperatures — about minus 200 Fahrenheit — limits its real world application.

In a pair of papers published in Nature starting in 2020, Dias claimed to have achieved superconductivity without extreme high pressure or cold temperatures. But other physicists soon noticed suspicious patterns in the data, leading to further peer review and eventually retractions.

His graduate students at UR, too, raised concerns about the research process. They said he didn't share some key details with them and didn't allow them time to review the papers before submitting them to journals.

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For its part, UR is taking several steps as a result of the controversy, spokeswoman Sara Miller said:

  • Create a full-time research integrity officer position "to offer more frequent and focused training, and enhance our communications and responses to concerns from the University community."

  • Review and update its research misconduct policy.

  • "Increase and improve" communication to students about reporting research misconduct.

  • "Clarify our expectations of research mentors to address concerns raised by this case."

— Justin Murphy is a veteran reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle and author of "Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York." Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CitizenMurphy or contact him at jmurphy7@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ranga Dias 'engaged in research misconduct,' UR says