Milena Penkowa

Milena Penkowa (b. 1973) is a Danish neuroscientist who was a Professor at the Panum Institute at the University of Copenhagen from 2009–2010. Her prolific research mainly concerned the protein metallothionein. She received the Danish Elite Research prize in 2009. In 2010 she was accused of scientific misconduct and resigned her professorship.^[1]

Biography

Penkowa has Danish-Bulgarian roots. In 1989 she participated in the European Championships for show jumping in Millstreet, Ireland.^[2]

She graduated from Kalundborg Gymnasium in 1991 and went on to study at the University of Copenhagen soon afterwards, first as assistant professor in 2000 and associate professor in 2002. Already in 1993 she was featured in a yearbook from the University for research. Again in 1994 her name was credited in an article on metal-binding proteins. In 2001 she wrote, along with her Spanish partner, Juan Hidalgo Pareja and two others, articles on metallothionein-containing liposomes which were published in May 2003. Her prolific research at Panum Institute at the University of Copenhagen from 2009–2010 mainly concerned the protein metallothionein. She received the Danish Elite Research prize in 2009.^[3]

In 2010 she was accused of scientific misconduct, as her graduate students were unable to replicate her previous results. Doubts arose about whether Penkowa had in fact carried out the experiments that she had reported.^[1] Penkowa was suspended from her professorship and research articles that she had authored were retracted from several journals.^[4] During the investigation, accusations of having misspent part of a 5.6 million kroner research grant were also leveled against her, and the University of Copenhagen paid back 2 million kroner to the donor.^[5][1] Fifty-eight Danish researchers signed a letter requesting an open review of Penkowa's research, citing suspicions about data fabrication going back to her doctoral thesis in 2002.^[1] Penkowa herself denied any wrongdoing,^[6] but resigned her professorship in December 2010.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Fraud investigation rocks Danish university". Nature. 7 January 2011. http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110107/full/news.2011.703.html. Retrieved 16 October 2011. 
2. ^ Mette-Line Thorup (25 June009). "Krige kan også føre til noget godt" (in Danish). Dagbladet Information. http://www.information.dk/195788. Retrieved 16 October 2011. 
3. ^ "Vi beklager, men siden eksisterer ikke...". EliteForsk. http://www.eliteforsk.dk/modtagere/prismodtagere-2009/milena-penkowa. Retrieved 16 October 2011. 
4. ^ "Retractions by Milena Penkowa". RetractionWatch. http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/category/by-author/milena-penkowa-retractions/. Retrieved 16 October 2011. 
5. ^ "All Milena Penkowa". UniversityPost. http://universitypost.dk/taxonomy/term/809. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
6. ^ "Milena Penkowa fights back in media interview". UniversityPost. http://universitypost.dk/article/milena-penkowa-fights-back-media-interview. Retrieved 26 October 2011.