Columbia Says Richard Axel to Leave Roles Over Epstein Links

Feb. 25, 2026, 1:33 AM UTC

Richard Axel is stepping down as co-director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University says in a statement on its website.

  • Axel called his association with Jeffrey Epstein a “serious error in judgement,” and apologized for “compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues”
    • In light of this past association, and the continued fallout from the release of DOJ files, Axel felt it appropriate to relinquish his position as co-director
  • Columbia has seen no evidence that Axel, a Nobel Laureate, violated any university policy or the law
  • Axel has also resigned his position as an investigator at ...





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