Dr. Richard Axel has informed the University that he is stepping down as co-director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. As a founding director, Dr. Axel’s vision has guided the Institute since its inception. The University is grateful to Dr. Axel for his scientific contributions and leadership in this innovative endeavor to further understand the brain.
In a statement, Dr. Axel called his association with Jeffrey Epstein a “serious error in judgement,” and apologized for “compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues… What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable.”
The University has seen no evidence that Dr. Axel violated any University policy or the law. However, Dr. Axel made clear that in light of this past association, and the continued fallout from the release of DOJ files, he felt it appropriate to relinquish his position as co-director. The University agrees with this decision, while at the same time recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the University and his dedication to his colleagues, to his students, and to science.
Dr. Axel has also resigned his position as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). HHMI will provide funding for members of the Axel lab to allow completion of their current research. Dr. Axel’s work has transformed our understanding of how the brain perceives the world and has also led to the production of life-saving protein-based therapy. Dr. Axel, a Nobel Laureate, will continue to pursue his research and teaching in his lab at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia.
