Victor Ninov, a researcher at University of California at Berkeley who is alleged to have fabricated the evidence used to claim the creation of ununoctium and ununhexium. He was fired in 2001, after claiming that the unique design of his apparatus was responsible for the success in finding the new elements. When the results proved to be unrepeatable, an internal investigation alledged that Dr. Ninov's work had been "fraudulent", and produced an unusually high profile scandal, which shook the physics and scientific communities. Dr. Ninov continues to vigorously deny any wrong doing, and maintains his innocence of any intent to commit fraud.

His hiring by the laboratory from GSI had been considered a coup: he had been involved in the discovery of elements 110 (now named darmstadtium), 111 (now named roentgenium), and 112, and was considered one of the leading experts at using the complex types of software needed to detect the decay chain of the unstable transuranium element's demise.

He is now at University of the Pacific.

External link

article on the Ninov controversy

Ninov's UoP Home Page