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Nobel Laureate steps down from his role at Columbia University after Epstein links surface

Nobel Prize winner Richard Axel was a professor at Columbia University

Ariha Fatimah Arain

2 weeks ago

Nobel Laureate steps down from his role at Columbia University after Epstein links surface

Nobel Prize winner Richard Axel was a professor at Columbia University

Nobel Prize winner Richard Axel has stepped down from his leadership role at Columbia University following the release of documents revealing past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Richard is a towering figure in modern neuroscience, who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for groundbreaking discoveries on how the human brain processes smell.

The controversy emerged after newly unsealed federal documents detailed Axel’s past communications and social interactions with Epstein.

While there are no allegations of criminal misconduct against Axel, and Columbia has stated he did not violate university policy, the revelation prompted intense scrutiny.

In a public statement, Axel described his association with Epstein as “a serious error in judgment”, acknowledging the pain caused by the connection.

He announced he would step down from his administrative post but plans to continue his research and teaching.

For decades, he has been a central presence at Columbia, serving not only as a researcher but as a co-director of the university’s prestigious Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.