Anderson: allegations over remarks. Credit: PA

Roy Anderson, a professor of zoology at the University of Oxford and the director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, has been suspended on full pay following formal complaints from two female members of his staff.

Paul Harvey, the head of the zoology department, says that the suspension is a “neutral move while the allegations are under investigation and so do not say anything about innocence or guilt”.

The suspension follows an investigation and preliminary report by university officials to the registrar and vice-chancellor, who have apparently decided there is a case to be answered.

The case centres on an appointment to a readership in epidemiology at the end of last year. The position went to Sunetra Gupta, considered by the appointment committee as the best candidate. As well as a highly regarded scientist, Gupta is perhaps better known as a novelist — her most recent book, A Sin of Colour, came out last year.

In early December, Gupta filed a complaint which is said to concern public allegations made by Anderson on the means by which she had obtained her appointment and on her relationship with Harvey. The delivery of the preliminary report initiates procedures that look likely to lead to a private disciplinary hearing.

Anderson is a senior figure in UK biomedical research and an expert on the epidemiology of BSE (see Nature 392, 533; 1998). He was head of the zoology department at Oxford during 1993–98, and has been director of the Wellcome Trust centre there since 1994.

The university issued a statement last week confirming that a director of “one of the university's research centres” had been suspended and that allegations were being investigated under its statutory procedures.

“We can't say very much because it would be wrong to prejudge the points that will be made at the various stages of this process,” says a university spokesperson. “Suspension is basically a step to mean that everyone can, as much as possible in these situations, get on with their work.”

A member of the university with legal experience, and four senior members of the University's Congregation — the ‘parliament of dons’ that has final responsibility for all legislative matters — will chair a hearing. Anderson may attend this hearing, have representation and call and question witnesses.

The timescale for the disciplinary hearing is not yet known. But a university spokesperson said, “it is in everyone's interest it is done as quickly as possible, but there are practical issues to do with getting together the people needed”.

Another researcher at the Wellcome Trust centre has complained about Anderson's comments on the appointments process. Attempts last week to contact both Anderson and Gupta were unsuccessful.