Paleonet: Letter for Paleonet

[Norman MacLeod]

Paul Palmquist has asked me to post the following to the list.

Norm MacLeod

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Dear colleagues,

Several postings in Paleonet during the last weeks dealt on the uncertain
future of paleontology as a scientific discipline, given the loss of
academic positions and research funding. In the past, I have heard
reproaches from other Spanish scientists who think that we the
paleontologists are always in conflict (this would ultimately result from
the low number of Spanish paleontologists, which translates in that
everybody knows of all other colleagues, and this seems to lead some of us
to consider them as potential competitors). On this matter, I think that
paleonetters should know what has happened to one of our colleagues, Dr.
Manuel Mendoza, during his work in an institution recently created in Spain,
the Catalan Institute of Paleontology, directed by Dr. Salvador Moyà Solà.
Manuel collaborates with me in the ecomorphology and palaeoecology of
ungulates, the subject of his PhD thesis dissertation in 2002, after which
he was awarded with a Fulbright Grant at Brown University. All other
scientists who have collaborated with Manuel also consider the treatment
that he has received in this institution as unfair. These include, for
example, Dr. Miquel De Renzi (Professor of Paleontology), Dr. Miguel Ángel
Medina (Associate Professor of Biochemistry), Dr. Carlos Criado (Associate
Professor of Theoretical Physics), Dr. Raimundo Real (Associate Professor of
Animal Biology) and Dr. Carlos Cotta (Associate Professor of Languages and
Computation Sciences). In the following letter, written by Manuel, you can
find the details.

Best wishes,

Paul Palmqvist

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Dr. Paul Palmqvist, Profesor Titular
Depto. Ecología & Geología (Área de Paleontología)
Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga
Campus Universitario de Teatinos, 29071 Málaga (Spain)
Phone: +34 952 132002 (office), +34 952 212870 (home)
Shared Fax: +34 952 132000, E-mail: ppb at uma.es
Web page: http://webpersonal.uma.es/de/ppb/index.html
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Dear colleagues,

On May 1, 2007 I was contracted in the Catalan Institute of Paleontology
(ICP) as staff scientist by his Director, Dr. Salvador Moyà Solà, for a
period of three years, joining the research group headed by Dr. Meike
Köhler, his wife, to work on evolution of life history (a matter in which I
had little experience at that moment) and continue my work on theoretical
evolution and ecomorphology. After a period of seven months, I have
contributed to the scientific production of the ICP with a paper published
in a journal included in SCI records (other two are currently in review), an
article in a book edited by Dr. Norman MacLeod, and four communications
presented to workshops held in three different countries. The goal of this
letter is to report that I have been dismissed now from the ICP for
defending some results of a research which apparently are in conflict with
the personal expectancies of Dr. Moyà Solà and, specially, of Dr. Köhler.
The latter has a close collaboration with Dr. Lloyd Demetrius, Professor at
Harvard University and member of the Max Plank Institute. Dr. Demetrius
suggested me to implement a computer model with which his Directionality
Theory had been confirmed (Kowald and Demetrius, 2005: Proc. R. Soc. B 272).
After the examination of the model, I realized that it has serious errors.
Once implemented, in collaboration with Dr. Carlos Cotta ­ an expert in
evolutionary computation - we confirmed the scope of these failures. This
conclusion, as well as the development of a new alternative model, were
initially received with pleasure by Dr. Köhler. However, according to the
reaction of Dr. Köhler and Dr. Moyà Solà when she came back from a visit to
Harvard, Dr. Demetrius was in disagreement with our results. Dr. Moyà Solà
accused me then of putting in danger the collaboration with this important
scientist. He argued that ³how could I put in doubt the knowledge of an
expert who has been working during decades in the matter, if you had no idea
about demography four months ago?". Obviously, this is a new version of the
old Principle of Authority, which is incompatible with the nature of science
and its method, something that should not happen at the beginning of the
21st century. Dr. Moyà Solà ordered me to follow the instructions of Dr.
Köhler and, when I tried to defend myself and explain my position, he
rescinded my contract with the ICP. Officially, I have been dismissed for
organizational reasons, and others with an even more difficult justification
have been argued, including my lack of integration in the research group
headed by Dr. Köhler (she is now the only member of this team). I want to
express that it is not coherent or humane to contract me for three years, to
encourage me for moving from a distant city with all my family (I have two
children in school age, my wife had to left her job, etc.) and now, seven
months later, to be fired out for organizational reasons. Moreover, this is
not an isolated fact. Only two months ago, Victor Fernandez Tascón, who came
also from a distant city, was contracted for three years to perform a PhD
thesis under the direction of Dr. Köhler. Shortly after, he was pressed to
leave the ICP without apparent reasons, since I can testify to his capacity
and dedication. It is worth noting that Victor and I were, up to that date,
the only collaborators of Dr. Köhler in the ICP.

Manuel Mendoza

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Dear colleagues:
In regard to the incidents lived by Dr Manuel Mendoza during his stay in the
Catalan Institute of Paleontology (ICP), I want to confirm some of the
points that he exposed, of which I have been an indirect witness, because
these incidents were put in my knowledge while they were taking place,
before the dismissal of Dr Mendoza. For approximately four months Dr Mendoza
and I have been collaborating in models of Life History based on the work of
Dr Demetrius and collaborators. During this time we arrived to some
conclusions about the algorithmic model of Kowald and Demetrius that make it
unrealistic. Following these observations, Dr Mendoza explained to me, in
different conversations, a series of problems that he was having in the ICP
as a consequence of these conclusions, being even afraid of loosing his job,
after having being scold by Dr Moyà for contradicting to a renowned
investigator of the area (Dr Demetrius), seemingly compromising the
collaboration of him with the ICP. Sadly these dreads were demonstrated to
be founded. It is lamentable that, in these moments in which the science
community is so concerned about scientific excellence, not only the
scientific career of a young scientist is interrupted so unfairly but also
he and his family suffer this personal damage.
Carlos Cotta

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Dr. Carlos Cotta
Dept. Lenguajes y CC.CC.
University of Malaga Email: ccottap at lcc.uma.es
ETSI Informatica (3.2.49)
Campus de Teatinos, 29071 - Malaga - SPAIN
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___________________________________________________________________

Prof. Norman MacLeod
Keeper of Palaeontology
The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD


(0)207 942-5204/5295 (Office)
(0)207 942-5546 (Fax)
http://www.nhm.ac.uk//research-curation/staff-directory/
palaeontology/cv-5463.html (Web Page)

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