The University of New England’s former dean of pharmacy is suing the school for firing him last spring.

Navindra Seeram has alleged that UNE fired him without warning while he was recovering from a “nearly fatal sepsis infection,” and after raising concerns with the school’s administration about what he believed to be illegal activity, according to his lawsuit.

About a week before his firing, Seeram, a biomedical researcher, was the subject of a critical piece by the New York Times about industry-funded research he had conducted that promoted maple syrup and its alleged health benefits. Experts who spoke with the publication said Seeram’s findings were misleading.

Seeram does not mention the story is his lawsuit, which was filed on April 15 in U.S. District Court in Portland. His attorney Tyler Smith said that Seeram “disagrees with how certain aspects of his work were characterized” by the New York Times.

“Dr. Seeram’s lawsuit is not about the New York Times article or maple syrup research,” Smith said in an emailed statement Thursday. “The case is about UNE’s actions in response to him raising good faith concerns about certain practices at UNE that he reasonably believed to be unlawful.”

A spokesperson for UNE said they do not comment on pending litigation, and no lawyer was listed for the university as of Thursday.

Seeram was hired as dean of pharmacy following a national search in late 2024, according to his complaint. His attorney said Thursday that Seeram has “devoted more than two decades to pharmaceutical science research and education, including many years as a tenured professor and academic leader.”

A few weeks after beginning his job in January 2025, he became sick with sepsis and had to take about two months off for surgery and recovery. The lawsuit states that his doctors wrote the school, urging that Seeram be allowed to work part time, and that he be spared “undue stress.”

According to the lawsuit, the school saddled him with several time-consuming, administrative tasks. That included sorting through financial information for the school’s accreditation, and encouraging pharmacy students from Husson University to apply to UNE after Husson announced it was closing its program.

“Despite being designated for part-time work with a modified schedule and being
recommended to avoid undue or added stress, UNE imposed a high volume of tasks on Dr.
Seeram and expected him to perform as if he had no limitations,” the complaint states.

Seeram raised concerns with the school, after he was encouraged to reach out to Husson students directly on their cell phones, according to the lawsuit. Seeram said he was concerned that obtaining their information from Husson would violate student privacy laws.

Seeram then told the school he believed his predecessor had been paid using research funding when that position should have been covered by an administrative fund. Seeram alleges that the school officials told him not to question their decisions.

UNE fired Seeram on April 24, 2025, he said, “without warning,” sending him a letter that accused him of engaging “in serious unprofessional misconduct” and failing to fulfill his obligations to UNE. Seeram was not given an opportunity to respond to the school’s allegations, according to the complaint.

“Dr. Seeram contends that the stated reasons for his termination were pretextual, intended to mask true, unlawful reasons that violate the Maine Human Rights Act, the Maine Whistleblower’s Protection Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” the complaint states.