“He’s ambitious in the sense that he wanted to understand hard problems and open up new directions and break through impasses, not just in the work that he did with me but in much else,” says Chomsky, who worked with Hauser on several academic papers, including a 2005 paper published in Cognition titled “The Evolution of the Language Faculty: Clarifications and Implications.”

“[T]he term ambitious suggests trying to get ahead and be famous,” Chomsky says, often achieved by rushing to publish. He adds that he has “no reason to believe” that Hauser was driven by that urge.

THE DRIVE BEHIND THE MAN

Hauser graduated in 1981 from Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania and received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles six years later.

Throughout his career, Hauser and his research teams received over $7 million in grants, not including funds from Harvard. Since 2000, he has published 143 journal articles or chapters and four books, including “Moral Minds,” according to his curriculum vitae.

During that period, he served on the editorial boards of at least five publications, oversaw graduate students’ research, and taught undergraduate courses.

Hauser’s research has focused on cognitive behavior in animals and moral psychology, and his papers span topics from primate intelligence to the role of emotions in moral psychology.

One former co-worker, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing federal inquiry, recalls instances that hinted at Hauser’s temptation to draw premature conclusions from his research that he could publish.

The former researcher points to an instance in which Hauser considered using a “statistical test that supported a conclusion that would have led to a publishable paper.”

But, the conditions necessary to use the test were not met, meaning that “the data did not show what [Hauser] wanted to show,” the former researcher says. After extended discussion, Hauser decided not to use the test and held off on publishing the paper, according to the individual.

“The fact that it took that level of discussion to make that decision was definitely concerning to me,” the former co-worker says. “It felt like [Hauser’s] motivation to publish, especially in prestigious journals, may have clouded his objectivity.”

Most colleagues interviewed for this article say they are reluctant to jump to any conclusions about Hauser’s conduct until more information becomes public. Harvard is not revealing many of the details it uncovered during its three-year-long inquiry, citing confidentiality requirements.

In his time as a professor, Chomsky says he has seen students who “go into print without thinking very hard” as well as those who are so hesitant to publish that he has had to hold their hand on the way to the thesis office.

“I think Marc is somewhere around the middle of that spectrum,” Chomsky says. “It is possible that—well, he has published quite a lot in various areas. It’s possible that some of the papers went to press without sufficient rethinking, but I don’t know of any cases.”

IN THE PUBLIC EYE