Harvard Places Math Professor Martin Nowak on Paid Administrative Leave Over Epstein Ties

Harvard placed mathematics professor Martin Nowak on paid administrative leave amid a renewed investigation into his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein, according to a letter obtained by The Crimson.

In an email to faculty in the mathematics and organismic and evolutionary biology departments, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra wrote that the FAS will conduct a formal investigation into whether Nowak ran afoul of FAS or University policies or “standards of professional conduct.”

The decision comes as Harvard continues its broad review of University affiliates’ connection to Epstein following a January release of more than 3 million documents by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

A panel of the FAS Faculty Conduct Committee reviewed the newly surfaced material and recommended a formal inquiry, Hoekstra wrote. The investigation will proceed under the procedures outlined in the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook — which specify that formal investigations involve notice of allegations, opportunities for response, and a final determination by the Faculty Conduct Committee.

Nowak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nowak, who currently teaches one course on evolutionary dynamics at the University, was placed on leave effective immediately. Hoekstra wrote that Harvard is working to arrange coverage for his class.

“Arrangements will be made to ensure appropriate coverage for Professor Nowak's teaching and advising responsibilities to minimize any disruption to students,” she wrote.

Nowak’s relationship with Epstein has been a focus of Harvard’s prior reviews. Epstein’s financial support in the early 2000s included a $6.5 million gift that established Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, which Nowak led.

The 2020 Harvard report on Epstein’s ties found that Epstein continued to visit campus regularly and maintained an office and key card access at PED long after his 2008 conviction — a move the University’s 2020 report noted as a potential violation of Harvard policy.

In 2021, Harvard sanctioned Nowak for his interactions with Epstein, determining that he had violated University policies by facilitating Epstein’s presence at Harvard. Those sanctions included closing the PED and restricting Nowak’s ability to take on new research roles and advise students.

Those penalties were lifted in 2023, restoring his advising and research privileges.

Several other Harvard affiliates have suffered blowback from the latest Epstein revelations. In an extraordinary step, former University President Larry Summers on Wednesday announced he would resign from his academic and faculty appointments at the end of the academic year.

Nowak made contact with Epstein at least 150 times after his conviction, helping broker meetings with Harvard professors that Epstein used to connect with academics, politicians, and other guests. According to a record of Epstein’s schedule, the two met in Boston as late as May 2019, just two months before Epstein was arrested on new federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.

Nowak and Epstein shared an intimate relationship, messaging casually about women, travel, and their personal lives. In a 2010 email, Nowak told Epstein that “flying in your plane from new york to boston was a life transforming experience.” And in 2014, Nowak sent a redacted photo of a woman to Epstein who he labeled “my korean friend.”

Nowak also frequented Epstein’s various properties, including his private Caribbean island and his ranch in Santa Fe.

—Staff writer Hugo C. Chiasson can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at hcc.35. Follow him on X @HugoChiassonn.

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at elisespenner.82. Follow her on X @EliseSpenner.