Harvard Math professor Martin Nowak who got $6.5 million from Epstein put on leave amid probe

Amid a wave of resignations and institutional fallout across the corporate, political and academic world over newly released Jeffrey Epstein files, Harvard University has placed a senior mathematics professor, once described as Epstein’s “inside man” at the elite institution, on paid administrative leave.

The move comes as the university launches a fresh investigation into his ties with the disgraced financier following the emergence of new federal documents.

Martin Nowak, a prominent mathematician and evolutionary biologist, was put on leave after Harvard officials said they had received “new information” linked to Epstein, the convicted sex offender whose connections to powerful academic, political and business figures continue to reverberate years after his death.

In a letter to faculty, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra said the university’s Faculty Conduct Committee had recommended a formal probe to determine whether Nowak violated institutional policies or professional standards.

Harvard said steps were being taken to minimise disruption to teaching and research during the investigation.

Nowak, who has denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities, had previously faced sanctions over his association with the convicted sex ofender, including restrictions on taking new students and leading research projects.

Put on leave after Larry Summers resigned over Epstein ties

The decision to place Nowak on leave comes amid widening fallout at Harvard, including the resignation of former university president and economist Larry Summers from his professorship.

Summers, who had longstanding ties to Epstein, stepped down after fresh document releases detailed his interactions with the financier. Reports indicate Summers and his wife had travelled on Epstein’s private jet and briefly visited his private Caribbean island in 2005, years before Epstein’s first arrest.

While Summers has maintained that his association with Epstein predated the financier’s criminal conviction, the revelations have drawn intense scrutiny and criticism, adding to pressure on Harvard to address its historical links with Epstein.

Epstein’s millions and privileged access at Harvard

Epstein’s largest known donation to Harvard, approximately USD 6.5 million — helped establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED), which Nowak directed. The programme was later shut down in 2021 after Harvard conducted an internal review of Epstein’s involvement.

University records and federal documents reveal Epstein had unusually extensive access to Harvard’s campus, including office space, a keycard and passcode.

Harvard’s own 2020 investigation found Epstein visited the programme’s offices more than 40 times between 2010 and 2018.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice show Epstein’s staff coordinating meetings between Nowak and Epstein, arranging travel, and discussing visits to Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, in the US Virgin Islands.

In one 2019 email, as scrutiny around Epstein intensified, Nowak asked Epstein’s associates to remove references linking his programme to Epstein from public websites, writing: “The sooner the better please. Things are getting very strange here.”

Despite the revelations, Nowak has consistently maintained he was unaware of Epstein’s sexual crimes and said he had engaged with Epstein primarily to support academic research funding.

Who was Jeffrey Epstein?

Jeffrey Epstein, born in Brooklyn in 1953, rose from modest beginnings to become a wealthy financier managing money for ultra-rich clients. Though he lacked formal academic credentials, Epstein cultivated relationships with powerful figures across politics, business, and academia.

He was first arrested in 2006 in Florida and later secured a contentious 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. Prosecutors accused him of operating a widespread trafficking network involving underage girls over several decades.

He died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial, ending the possibility of 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 about USD 600 million at the time of his death, has since paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements to victims.