Danish neuroscientist convicted of embezzling society funds - March 07, 2011

http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/

Something’s rotten in the state of Danish research. A high-profile neuroscientist, Milena Penkowa, has received a 3-month suspended sentence for embezzling 28,000 Danish kroner (about US$5200), while treasurer of the Danish Society for Neuroscience.

In January, Nature reported that some of Penkowa’s research on brain repair mechanisms was being investigated for potential fraud by the Danish government’s Committee on Scientific Dishonesty. She was also suspected of misspending a grant from a private charity, the IMK General Fund, on expenses not described in the grant application. The University of Copenhagen, where she was a full professor, repaid IMK roughly 2 million kroner (about $375,000). She is no longer employed by the University of Copenhagen.

Penkowa was convicted of misspending the Neuroscience Society funds and sentenced in December 2010. But the conviction was not made public, pending appeal. Penkowa has now withdrawn her appeal, the Copenhagen Post and other Danish newspapers report today.

Penkowa’s troubles may not end here. The neuroscientist, who was recognized as an elite young researcher by the Danish government in 2009, is facing a second criminal case, according to Copenhagen Post. The University of Copenhagen has also accused her of fraud on her doctoral thesis.