Whistleblowing in universities is 'extraordinarily risky': stronger protections are needed
Nature
October 13, 2026
N. Wyn Evans
"Notice something wrong at your university? Perhaps you witness bullying of a colleague, data fabrication or a professor having an affair with an undergraduate student?
You do what you are supposed to do: you report it. You raise the matter with the head of department and research-integrity office. After all, such behaviour is contrary to the university’s values and mission statement. Managers will surely want to know and will take action — as you would expect.
This is not what happened to me. In 2021, I raised concerns over a senior colleague’s treatment of a female administrator at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK. I soon found myself under investigation — accused by the person I had reported of having behaved inappropriately myself..."
| 
