PASADENA, Calif. ― A physics professor at the California Institute of Technology sued the school Thursday, claiming she faced retaliation for telling the FBI that she suspected illegal activities at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Sandra Troian alleges that Caltech officials violated the school’s own whistleblower policy by conducting a campaign of retaliation to “drive her out of Caltech and ruin her career” after she reported possible violations of federal export laws at JPL, which is managed by Caltech.
The suit contends that, among other things, the campaign included falsely accusing her of research misconduct, issuing false findings of wrongdoing against her, thwarting her participation in campus committees, events and lectures and denying her more than $1 million in grant funds.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses Caltech of breach of contract, retaliation in violation of the state labor code and not acting in good faith.
“I have committed my heart and soul to Caltech. But I will not violate the law. And, I will not allow Caltech to ruin my career for alerting them to violations of laws intended to protect our greater society,” Troian said in a press statement announcing the lawsuit.
A request for comment was pending at Caltech’s media relations department.
Troian’s suit contends that in 2010 she notified Caltech officials of concerns about a postdoctoral researcher she hired to work with her on a space propulsion system funded by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
