Voinnet obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in 2001 in England in the group of David Baulcombe and later obtained a position as independent group leader at the National Center for Scientific Research in Strasbourg where he was promoted to Directeur de Recherche in 2005.
In 2010, he moved to Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich where he was appointed full professor of Ribonucleic acid Biology. He was awarded the European Molecular Biology Organization Gold Medal in the year 2009 but it was taken back in 2016. At 2015, his work was investigated for manipulation.
The investigation at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich found that the scientist “breached his duty of care in the handling of figures as well as in his supervisory duties as a research director. and will receive an admonition in relation to his conduct” but also concluded that "this is not a case of scientific misconduct as defined in Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich’s Rules of Procedure".
Another, independent, investigation by National Center for Scientific Research established “the existence of deliberate chart/diagram manipulations, in breach of the ethical standards applicable to the presentation of scientific results” and went on to say that such ”inappropriate presentation of experimental data, however, does not amount to fabrication.”
As of July 2015, Mr Voinnet has been suspended from the National Center for Scientific Research (The French National Centre for Scientific Research) for 2 years.
French Academy of Sciences.
