Harvard University Places Senior Professor on Paid Leave Amid Epstein Document Fallout
In a significant development within the ongoing institutional fallout from newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents, Harvard University has placed a senior mathematics professor on paid administrative leave and initiated a fresh investigation into his connections with the disgraced financier. The move comes as resignations and scrutiny continue to ripple through corporate, political, and academic spheres worldwide.
Professor Martin Nowak Under Formal Investigation
Martin Nowak, a prominent mathematician and evolutionary biologist once described as Epstein's "inside man" at the elite institution, has been placed on leave after Harvard officials confirmed they received "new information" linked to the convicted sex offender. In a letter to faculty, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra revealed that the university's Faculty Conduct Committee recommended a formal probe to determine whether Nowak violated institutional policies or professional standards.
Harvard has assured that steps are being implemented to minimize disruption to teaching and research activities during the investigation. Nowak, who has consistently denied knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities, previously faced sanctions for his association with the financier, including restrictions on accepting new students and leading research projects.
Widening Fallout at Harvard University
The decision regarding Nowak arrives amid expanding repercussions at Harvard, most notably the resignation of former university president and economist Larry Summers from his professorship. Summers, who maintained longstanding ties to Epstein, stepped down following document releases that detailed his interactions with the financier.
Reports indicate that Summers and his wife traveled on Epstein's private jet and briefly visited his private Caribbean island in 2005, years before Epstein's initial arrest. While Summers has asserted that his association predated Epstein's criminal conviction, these revelations have attracted intense scrutiny and criticism, increasing pressure on Harvard to address its historical connections with Epstein.
Epstein's Financial Influence and Campus Access
Epstein's largest known donation to Harvard, approximately USD 6.5 million, helped establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED), which Nowak directed. The program was subsequently shut down in 2021 after Harvard conducted an internal review of Epstein's involvement.
University records and federal documents reveal Epstein enjoyed unusually extensive access to Harvard's campus, including:
- Dedicated office space
- A university keycard
- Personal passcode access
Harvard's own 2020 investigation determined Epstein visited the program's offices more than 40 times between 2010 and 2018.
Email Correspondence Reveals Coordination
Emails released by the US Department of Justice show Epstein's staff coordinating meetings between Nowak and Epstein, arranging travel logistics, and discussing visits to Epstein's private island, Little St. James, in the US Virgin Islands. In one particularly revealing 2019 email, as scrutiny around Epstein intensified, Nowak requested Epstein's associates to remove references linking his program to Epstein from public websites, writing: "The sooner the better please. Things are getting very strange here."
Despite these revelations, Nowak has maintained his position that he was unaware of Epstein's sexual crimes and claims he engaged with Epstein primarily to secure academic research funding.
Background on Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein, born in Brooklyn in 1953, rose from modest beginnings to become a wealthy financier managing assets for ultra-wealthy clients. Despite lacking formal academic credentials, Epstein cultivated extensive relationships with powerful figures across politics, business, and academia.
His legal troubles began with an arrest in 2006 in Florida, followed by a controversial plea deal in 2008 that allowed him to serve just 13 months in jail with work-release privileges. Epstein was arrested again in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors, with prosecutors accusing him of operating a widespread trafficking network involving underage girls over several decades.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial, preventing a criminal conviction. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted in 2021 for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for Epstein. Epstein's estate, valued at approximately USD 600 million at the time of his death, has since paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements to victims.
