Category: Worst mercenary scientist

Dr Valeria Souza is a researcher at the institute of Ecology, of the National Autonomous University, Mexico. I nominate her for helping and facilitating the collection of Mexico´s unique microbial diversity in Yucatán, during Craig Venter´s world´s expedition to map the “ocean genome”, under the cover of her “scientific collect permit”, and a simple “Statement of Understanding” signed by Craig Venter and Valeria Souza acting as individual. This enabled Craig Venter to take samples back to his laboratory and away from any control about the current and possible future use of those Mexican resources. The agreement was not made public and wasn´t discussed before proper University instances. Most of the Faculty members got to know about it through the printed press.

It set an awful precedent for arrogance of the researchers at public universities, specially at my University UNAM, the largest in Latin America, on the use of publicly funded research and the discretional use of scientific collect permits. This example is even worse In the context of the increasing privatisation of the public universities and of so many other common goods in our country.