Research misconduct and breach of ethics

How Luis Serrano, CRG's (Barcelona) Director, lied to the Catalan/Spanish Court

Below is how His Excellency Luis Serrano, CRG Director (Spanish/Catalan research institute of Excellence™), did his best to protect reputat...

Showing posts with label spanish-corruption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spanish-corruption. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

How Luis Serrano, CRG's (Barcelona) Director, lied to the Catalan/Spanish Court

Below is how His Excellency Luis Serrano, CRG Director (Spanish/Catalan research institute of Excellence™), did his best to protect reputation of his realm by having serially lied about the reason of a former employee's dismissal virtually performed by his miss-stress, Maria Lluch-Senar — he was unable to procure a PI position for her, so now she's a «scientific» executive in a yet another bogus biomed company — those, which are spinning off Academia's casa nostra like the fleas off a well cared pet…

«What a tangled web they weave when first they practice to deceive…»

[DropBox archive to the story]
  1. A year ago (Feb'17) CRG in Barcelona had ignored the conciliation officer`s proposal to accept that the dismissal was illegal and make things simple: i.e. to pay out a small fine (about one month wage) to me and to issue a document confirming that dismissal was illegal, their representative also told then that they needed the Court decision to make that small payment and they'd bring additional evidence. Below is this evidence.

    They've started with their style of menaces again, urging me to accept the following proposal: before the Court they admit that the dismissal was illegal and pay out that money, but in turn© I have to purge all materials on them I put online. They pay that symbolic fine, I clean, they go scot-free, as if nothing happened, as if they did nothing wrong and as if I am doing here even something criminal. If I do not accept this — they're to carry out their threats.
    I don't.
    I said no lies.

    What did kinda surprise me — that Catalan (Spanish) Court did not find anything abnormal in their menaces*) neither noticed any contradiction in their proposal with its own decision.
    The judge had a look rather petulant by me declining their menaces — thus he had to proceed with hearing, get himself busy.
    All that looked quite really medieval to me…

  2. On the Court hearing Luis Serrano, CRG Director, came to witness me «constantly refusing» to talk to his favorite, Maria Lluch-Senar.
    That was yet another sheer lie (unless just comical):
    I've updated the DropBox with the copies of correspondence which happened a month before my dismissal when I had to explain to M Lluch-Senar, biochemist, (© L. Serrano) how mass-spec really works (she tries to show up herself as if she understands it but pretty dumb to get a simple point). Finally, from the 3rd attempt, she gets it and even thanks me, reminding me one more time again that I'd be fired anyway. She's been obsessed repeating that in near every second her email with cc to Luis Serrano. I bet that seemed so sexy to her patron and sweet-heart.
    Chat between me and her is mentioned in the beginning of that correspondence. So the meeting was with me and her alone, at my initiative because in that case that did make sense.
    Luis Serrano was well aware of the meeting, he was in cc.
    In fact, I refused no meeting with his favorite. I've been just asking for assistance as she used to be damn blind, aggressive and incompetent, sabotaging any communication with the lab people and the colleagues involved in the project.
    Only once I refused her manipulations «if you want to talk… we can discuss» — I said I don't: she lied as if she looked at the app (all I was doing for them she kept calling «webpage» :)), there were nothing to discuss, she was unable to set a task for months and was reiterating what was already done (they both got hysterical after I said «I don't» then, although I could wait weeks for them just to look on what was going on with the project… — «ha-ha, Katerina wants to work!»).
    Another time it was «if you don't understand — come and ask» (another shiny feature of their culture is how they talk to people in general and to professionals in particular, this you can spot in their emails, see Dropbox — is it the EMBL's school too?… quite consistent with the EMBL…) 
    I said I have nothing to ask, I refused to recognize such scientific authority of the made-up biochemist, scientific authority, which they've started to claim after I complained to their set-up of Conflict Resolution Committee (I called for it, then they basely lied that this was them who called for it and I didn't obey it) — I was fired.
    You fill complaint about the incompetence and harassing from some person and they force you to recognize scientific \m/ authority of the very same person.
    This is how they make up their so called Conflict Resolution Committee...
    Nice, isn't it?

  3. That wasn't the only lie he told the Court, also he lied about me unrelated to his starring in «I think what maria proposed does not make any sense» (see there also their vile intrigue and slandering to make up that 3 month term) — that was in fact said after me trying to explain Maria the same, but not that way directly. I just did not discarded her suggestion completely (that'd be too risky! but minding now Serrano's confession to the Court — see in DropBox Court's decision: his favorite reported on me unsuitable for her right around the same time!)
    The related email is now in the DropBox too, my actual boss was in cc and Luis Serrano was surely reacting on this correspondence.

  4. The third lie:
    CRG attorney told the Court (and Luis Serrano repeated it) that I was given 3 months to follow discipline I allegedly violated.
    In fact, the next day after Serrano told me that his favorite M Lluch-Senar was my boss (yet another one, as I still had to ask my official boss for holidays and the like), less than 3 months before my dismissal, I've got a letter from her, that she had «talked with Luis and he said me that he has given you the opportunity to work for three months in the lab and to finish the project». That is I was told I'd be fired anyway. Serrano was in cc in that email (see in DropBox too).
    No way he didn't know, I was pointing on that assertion (that I'd be fired anyway) to the HR, Conflict resolution Committee.
    They didn't care, they served to M Lluch-Senar and her henpecked one like dogs, despite the law — «it'll be illegal and you can go to the Court then». Well, we'll kill you, what's the matter? — your relatives can go to our Court then (the Court won't find anything wrong in that).
    Luis Serrano, CRG Director, lied his face off to the Court.
    Their events fabrication was supported by no single legit document, proving their falsehood.

    Not to mention the repeated falsehood about Conflict Resolution Committee, implying that they called for it to make me obey them — yet another lie: who could think that my call for Conflict Resolution Committee they'd unscrupulously use for themselves….
    Not to mention the lies about the reason of my transfer to the Serrano lab:
    in order to mob and fire actually, as he explicitly confirmed himself — his favorite reports on me that she's unhappy to work with me, meanwhile, after her discussion with me he writes to several colleagues that her proposals, criticized by myself, make no sense — the best way of a corporate intrigant: he makes sure that she'd hate me, — and voilá: he transfers me to his lab and coerces me to talk to Sra. Lluch only alone.
    — Nice trick, isn't it?
    Later, on the Court hearing, he refers to this intrigue as if they had transferred me for the sake of discipline I allegedly violated. Before I even could have gotten to know who was my yet another boss whose scientific authority I had to obey or what could be that disobedience (apparently the logic isn't a Spanish/academic talent).
    Oh, yes, no word about corruption, let alone ignoble conduct of those who know no decency.
    True modern scientific leadership although with quite questionable practice, but who cares when it comes to money laundering so successfully sold out as that true research activity, right?
    Just givvus more money, we are saving humanity's health, kids from starvation, we are saving the Earth!! Preserve our strata whatever it takes (skip it now).
    Needless to say now that this Spanish Court did not give me the floor unless defendant party would have asked for it.
    Of course they were not interested to ask.
So this Spanish/Catalan Court has taken CRG Director's words as they are along with their dismissal notice (citing me «I have nothing to ask» as a reason to fire me) as a proof of my disobedience and made decision that my dismissal was legal.
You can enjoy reading on DropBox their decision: nothing from my part is even mentioned
— yet another achievement of Spanish science and Social Justice ⚖️ in Spain/Catalunya… But thank Providence and post medieval (just neo-fascist?) world: otherwise I'd have been put on fire literally, in the Auto-da-fé / or shot dead by these franquists pokemons under the new brand of la nueva Alianza de Excelencia SOMM (Severo Ochoa y María de Maeztu — WTH is this clownacy?) and Whole-Cell Modelling. The latter is quite a fancy way to make friends and money with their US peers like Jonathan Karr and whoever else is so happy to support Spanish research misconduct to have grant money for their trips in EU from US… — sure they assure you that those Spanish scientists were just defamed. But look at the DropBox docs — they show up themselves: their style of doing science speaks for itself.

alike Maria Lluch-Senar and Luis Serrano in CRG use-case

Story archive in Dropbox
Docs, story: CRG, Barcelona on Github

And the cherry on the cake:

I had to make waiting the reverend scientist and the Court for about an hour as I insisted on the interpreter being assisting me on the hearing (my Spanish isn't fluent):
that was my right they had failed to lock in on their own — thus that utterly corrupt fascist Spanish/Catalan Court did not give a damn whether I could even understand them.
At the end the Judge had rudely interrupted my attorney: no use to get into the subject, really. Everything was so clear in advance.
Otherwise it was just yet another routine Spanish way of showing their respect and culture, no worries.

Summarizing all this shame CRG/Barcelona Excellence™ in the anecdote:
Luis Serrano:
    — what maria proposed does not make any sense.
Maria:
    — she does not obey to do what I propose!
Luis Serrano & Maria Lluch-Senar:
(both very «con tensiones en la empresa por ello»):
    — you are fired!

Don't you ask yourself now:
why the hell the CRG in Barcelona, Luis Serrano Pubul, his mistress or work-wife, whatever) Maria Lluch-Senar — why did they feel necessity in all that execution-style spectacle?

Why were they unable to make things at least as civilized people would do when they didn't like each other: to dismiss me a decent way, by mutual agreement? — I didn't even ask for their money, I suggested that Luis Serrano the very next moment when his Maria promised me that I'd be fired anyway after he told me that I had to get along with her and the lab folk (they slandered I can work with no one, no one confirmed that to my knowledge), especially that the condition to get along with the lab folk was yet another fabrication: you can see it from the Court decision — Serrano claimed I had to obey to his favorite only.
— So, why this spectacle? why their Juan Valcarcel lied me, that I can go to the Court and their Court would decide that my dismissal was illegal?


*) artículo 169 del Código Penal of Spain: «Amenazas son un delito o una falta… el anuncio de un mal futuro ilícito que es posible… con la finalidad de causar inquietud o miedo…»
=
«Threats are a crime or a fault... the announcement of a bad illicit future that is possible ... with the purpose of causing concern or fear ...»

Friday, January 13, 2017

Luis Serrano, CRG director, led by Maria Lluch-Senar: negotiating

The most ridicule thing in the doc below is their «in turn» after the claim for recognition which they were utterly unable to get the decent way. You recognize someone's so shamefully unsatisfied scientific authority and direct supervision (instead of your former boss) and… ta-dam! — «in turn» they allow you to do your job and don't fire you.
NB: scientific authority here is an exclusive right for Maria Lluch to fuck your brain being alone with you and then to lie about you whatever shit she invents — her patron Luis Serrano would support it by any means.
You have to talk alone with her: this is what CRG Director and his favorite repeatedly claimed, whereas having Maria's ambitions together with incompetence in the subject and aggression, there is no other word than «brainfucking» for what she was doing with you tête-à-tête.
Interestingly, «Relocation of Catherine's workplace outside of Serrano's group should be considered» was firstly suggested by the Committee, but then stroke out by those claiming for recognition of the «scientific authority»… Introduced again, but no: «recognize or perish!» — see p. 6 in first version of the Committee below, p. 5 was also rejected: no collaboration, shut up! No witnesses for what we'd force you to do!
And they dragged K. from another lab to their lab what for? To make sure they could do with her whatever they'd like. No way way for relocation, claro.

Luis Serrano, CRG director, led by Maria Lluch-Senar: negotiating, Juan Valcarcel helps to perform misconduct
Juan Valcarcel was contacted by K. in private: she asked him to save her from bullying and she called for Conflict Resolution Committee to protect her from M Lluch Senar's bullying as it was fully supported by CRG Director and looked as a mobbing. Instead J. Valcarcel actually had joined the party: K. was fired for refusal to accept «non-negotiable requirement from Luis, i.e. that Catherine must recognize the scientific authority of Maria» — Catherine had no options than to refuse it since the behaviour of the latter looked as a sheer research misconduct.
James Sharpe (recently appointed Director of the EMBL's outstation in Barcelona) also joined to this mobbing, K. asked him for assistance as well, but on behalf of Luis Serrano he claimed the same from her: K. asked for protection, instead she's been forced to recognise scientific authority of the person she asked to protect her from! — nice, isn't it?
Still… it feels better to believe that at least James sincerely wanted to help. Yet I regret that I trusted him.
The claim of this «scientific recognition» was at very least unnecessary (though ridiculous!) unless yet another sign of the Spanish(?) corruption which at no point K. could accept as appropriate to follow. It's worth to mention that to the meeting on this so called Conflict Resolution Committee, M Lluch Senar came along accompanied by her patron — «because she's his co-leader of the project» (Juan Valcarcel) — so much ridiculous again: rather her professional qualities and culture just could not guarantee the adequate reporting.
Yet K. has been persistently forced to talk only alone with Maria.
This is first (rejected) version of the here-above mentioned document:
Maria Lluch-Senar and Luis Serrano, CRG director: negotiating, Juan Valcarcel helps to research misconduct
— «absence of threats from all parts» is put quite sneaky, as K. never menaced anyone, that was other way round and she just asked for stopping to threaten her (though she had to recognize fascist-style authority of whoever had threatened her).
But we can forgive this Juan Valcarcel as he's been benefiting from ERC grants perhaps á merci of Director's wife
Luis Serrano, Coordinator of the Systems Biology Programme at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, and recipient of a €2 million ERC Advanced Investigator Grant for five years, said the requirement of keeping time sheets is at best a waste of time and worst an insult to the high-level researchers. “Time sheets do not make much sense, to be honest. If you want to cheat, you can always cheat,” he said. He said other grants he receives from the Spanish government and the Human Frontier Science Programme do not require time sheets [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933871/]
— looks like here, Luis, there was that sure case when you were not cheating. You were right about yourself: secured by your position, if you want to cheat, you can always cheat. But what a shame. Your lecherous eyes work not always the way you aim them to.

Corruption prospects this way: Conflict Resolution Committee turned out to be a farce...

performed for Maria Lluch-Senar & Luis Serrano at CRG.
See here who has actually called for the Committee. This yet another example of how academia is corrupt and CRG (Center for Gemonic Regulation) in Barcelona is corrupt in particular.
Then see how they put it in their dismissal notice below, even how they put it in the second edition of the same document. So mean. And such a shame for the prominent lecturer on ethic subjects in science.

First his «co-leader» of the project excludes you from any work collaboration, then slanders that you «can work with no one» and then he completely supports that slander — so nice, isn't it? 

Luis Serrano CRG with Maria Lluch Senar and Juan Valcarcel at CRG, Barcelona: meanness and research misconduct
Luis Serrano, CRG along with Juan Valcarcel at CRG, Barcelona, manipulating facts


But indeed it was just a part of their freak show:
«A non-negotiable requirement from Luis, i.e. that Catherine must recognize the scientific authority of Maria as co-leader of the project and work under her direct supervision, remains unacceptable for Catherine. Therefore the Conflict Resolution Committee has been unable to find a common ground for understanding between the parts on this key issue and regretfully concludes that a conciliation process is not possible under the current conditions»
(email from the Committee of 13/12/16 10:40, see it in DropBox… keep in mind that initially K. was working in another lab and by the time of this clown commissioners were playing their part she still was under another subordination).
At no point this coercion was really necessary for their MycoSynVac project. Quite on the contrary, looking at its history: it was harmful for it. Indeed it was just a real plot for research misconduct


And of course this, along with the fact who actually called for the Committee was not quoted in their dismissal notice.
They dishonorably used this Committee just to make it part of the concocted evidence of insubordination.
Ignored email: really, it was just hopeless

Subject: Re: NCBI's starts/ends...
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2016 17:39:09 +0100

Dear all,
Please discuss the format in open and constructive manner.
As there is a strict standardization and DB processing rule «Excel is forbidden» (see: here was a pic forwarded later, see below)
the format should be a reasonable amounts of tab-separated text files uploaded one-by-one.
Each of this text files should not exceed 10Mb to be uploaded and processed in a reasonable time.
Each column of each file should be described in detail.
File names should have meaning and described in details otherwise text field in the upload interface should be filled in.
Current processing and analysis is done for 2-spreadsheet Excel files (no more than 10Mb of size) as a trade-off for accurate format description (done by Luis) of a standard files of results coming from a proteomics experiment and my good will to make all my best for the lab.
Processing of Excel files into the DB with analysis on the fly is not a common practice and generally is not accepted due to obstruct capacity to support the standards and analysis as consistent and reasonable prompt.
So CSV only (XML/JSON for those biologists who want die hard is an option too).
However, once the standard is created and described the way it was done by Luis and with the participation/by a professional IT specialist it is still possible to make sure that service is scalable and reliable.
Thanks, —
Catherine

— this is the referenced pic of the outstanding cruelty (actually called the extreme despair), and K. was summoned to the Administrative Director office then, and then of course K. apologized to the only one affected poor kid…
Mean-spirited souls know no humor. They are capable only in mobbing and concocting.

A year later Luis Serrano, CRG director lied even to the Court about who has called for the Conflict Resolution Committee and what for.