Rachel Guest
January 25, 2018
CHM 3050-01: Chemistry Seminar
The Mystifying Case of Bengü Sezen In 2000, Bengü Sezen started her doctoral studies at Columbia University. “For her doctoral work at Columbia, Sezen claimed to have developed a method for selectively activating C-H bonds, a technique commonly used to functionalize hydrocarbons” (Schulz, 2011). This research topic became the basis for many of the papers she and her mentor, Dalibor Sames published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In 2005, Sezen received her doctorate in Chemistry and left the institution. Sometime later, Sezen graduated from Heidelberg University with a doctorate in Molecular Biology and by then, the effects of her deceit and lies had eroded the scholarly scientist façade she had worked so hard to build. …show more content…
Several graduate students told Sames about how Sezen’s research could not be reproduced; a decision that negatively impacted their careers. “At least three unnamed subordinates left or were dismissed from the Sames lab…for stepping forward and raising concerns about Sezen’s irreproducible research results” (Schulz, 2011). One lab member decided to do more than report her; he decided to set a trap for her. He told Sezen he set up two reactions of the chemical conversion of imidazole to phenylimidazole. In reality, he set up two different reactions, one that started with imidazole and one that started with N-methylimidazole. “The next day, when the reactions were worked up, the product expected of (plain) imidazole was present in both flasks. The methyl label had vanished from the other substrate…a result that could only be explained by sabotage” (Bracher,
January 25, 2018
CHM 3050-01: Chemistry Seminar
The Mystifying Case of Bengü Sezen In 2000, Bengü Sezen started her doctoral studies at Columbia University. “For her doctoral work at Columbia, Sezen claimed to have developed a method for selectively activating C-H bonds, a technique commonly used to functionalize hydrocarbons” (Schulz, 2011). This research topic became the basis for many of the papers she and her mentor, Dalibor Sames published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In 2005, Sezen received her doctorate in Chemistry and left the institution. Sometime later, Sezen graduated from Heidelberg University with a doctorate in Molecular Biology and by then, the effects of her deceit and lies had eroded the scholarly scientist façade she had worked so hard to build. …show more content…
Several graduate students told Sames about how Sezen’s research could not be reproduced; a decision that negatively impacted their careers. “At least three unnamed subordinates left or were dismissed from the Sames lab…for stepping forward and raising concerns about Sezen’s irreproducible research results” (Schulz, 2011). One lab member decided to do more than report her; he decided to set a trap for her. He told Sezen he set up two reactions of the chemical conversion of imidazole to phenylimidazole. In reality, he set up two different reactions, one that started with imidazole and one that started with N-methylimidazole. “The next day, when the reactions were worked up, the product expected of (plain) imidazole was present in both flasks. The methyl label had vanished from the other substrate…a result that could only be explained by sabotage” (Bracher,