“You are an autistic,” “Cursed useless.” These are some of the expressions he directed Jan-Michael RostFinite Systems Director of the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems of DresDE, to the young post -dockers Gabriel Lando, according to a joint investigation of the chain Deutsche Welle (DW) and the magazine Der Spiegel. “He hit his table, shouted me to the point that I could see him spit,” recalls the theoretical physicist of Brazilian origin. “I think they were the worst moments of my life.”
For months, researchers from the two German media have documented cases of abusive behaviors and toxic work environments in institutes of the Max Planck Societyone of the most prestigious organizations in the world of scientific research, which demonstrates that Lando’s experience is far from being unique.
“We have interviewed more than 30 scientists, most of them attracted to Germany from Asia, America and other parts of Europe with the promise of carrying out a world -class investigation,” the researchers write. Two thirds of the interviewees describe having suffered or witnessed undue behaviors perpetrated by high -level scientific personnel. And the groups most exposed to abuse were women and non -white people.
A personalist model
The Max Planck Society It is the most important research organization in Germany. It has 31 Nobel Prizes and numerous international awards, such as Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation received in 2013. The model of these institutes, whose principles established its first director, the theologian in 1911 Adolf von Harnackis based on providing great power to its directors, who are brilliant scientists with a long career.
In this strongly personalist model, the directors are free to organize their research and facilities at will, selecting the researchers by finger and at the same time directing scientific advances.
For Harnack, remember in DWthe best way to advance science was to create an institute around a scientist endowed with such power and independence that this could be dedicated to science without restrictions. But this also translates into little supervision, “what has sometimes left younger scientists, such as doctoral students and postdoctorallands, at the mercy of their directors,” they say.
Habitual harass and sexism
For your investigation, DW and Der Spiegel They reviewed detailed reports submitted to the mechanisms of denunciation of the Max Planck Society, communications between the victims and the personnel involved in the denunciation processes, and confidential documents that corroborated the stories. “Our findings suggest a systemic failure when demanding responsibilities to the abusive members of the personnel or their institutes,” they reveal.
Our findings suggest a systemic failure when demanding responsibilities to the abusive members of the personnel or their institutes
A former doctoral student, for example, describes “horrible encounters” in which he saw how his “self -esteem gradually disappeared.” Another person says that Rost also had special powers about doctoral students and post -dockers from countries not belonging to the EU. His residence permit was linked to the prolongation of the contract. “He abused this power and threatened people to not renew their contracts,” they say in DW.
Previously, in 2019, a survey of Max Planck’s own society revealed that almost one in five respondents had suffered harassment in institutes and that non -German employees ran a significantly greater risk of suffering harassment or being subject to sexist comments.
The Max Planck society refused to comment on the accusations cited anonymously by DW and Der Spiegel. Nor did he provide more information about the ROST case. Several of those affected said they developed depression during their stay in the institute and sought professional help.
Also, many of those affected reported that their attempts to file complaints were rejected. “The results of our research indicate a systemic failure of compliance mechanisms,” they say in DW. “Nine of the former doctoral students and postdoctoral students with whom we talked about said they had sought without success of one or more of the sources mentioned above.”
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