BOSTON — Biomedical scientists from 33 institutions in nine countries are calling on MIT to take a second look at its 2022 recommendation to revoke former biology professor David Sabatini’s tenure, which led to his abrupt resignation, weeks after a Boston jury found he was defamed by the colleague who accused him of sexual misconduct.
In a letter dated Nov. 4 and obtained by 25 Investigates, the scientists ask MIT leadership to “reevaluate its decision to recommend the revocation of Dr. David Sabatini’s tenure and to undertake a fair and transparent review process.”
“This request is made considering evidence presented during the civil trial that may not have been available at the time of the original decision, as well as the unanimous jury verdict returned in his favor,” the letter says.
The letter is signed by individual faculty members of the international biomedical research community.
In his first on-camera interview since the verdict, Sabatini told 25 Investigates he believes MIT failed him after another scientist, Kristin Knouse, accused him of coercing her into a sexual relationship that lasted more than a year.
“I had hoped, for example, that MIT would do the right thing because I said, look, you need to get all the documents,” Sabatini said last month. “They did none of that.”
Investigations by the Whitehead Institute and MIT concluded Sabatini broke policies and fostered a sexualized atmosphere in the workplace. He was forced out of the Whitehead in 2021 and resigned under pressure from MIT in 2022.
Sabatini then sued Knouse for defamation and for interfering with his career. On Oct. 16, after a three-week civil trial, a Suffolk County Superior Court jury awarded him $6 million in damages, plus interest. The jury found Knouse defamed Sabatini and interfered with his contractual and prospective professional relationships, and it rejected her claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. Knouse, now an assistant professor at MIT, plans to appeal, according to her attorney.
According to the letter, the trial “revealed much previously unseen evidence, including communications between MIT and the Whitehead Institute leadership.”
Evidence at trial also included Knouse’s text messages to Sabatini, which appear to support his claim that the relationship was consensual. In a video deposition, Sabatini’s attorney, Lisa Arrowood, asked Knouse about a message in which she wrote, “In hindsight, it was quite aggressive, #hetoo.” Knouse said she “was just making a joke about how I was being forward in that moment.”
The scientists wrote that many of them have long felt the MIT proceedings that led to Sabatini’s loss of tenure “carried a level of unfairness that did not meet the basic standards all institutions should afford their faculty.”
The letter also describes the professional toll. “His loss of tenure at MIT was so damaging to his reputation that he became a pariah,” the scientists wrote. “For the past five years, our field has missed his presentations and insights about the work of others at meetings.”
Sabatini was once considered a potential Nobel Prize contender for his breakthroughs in understanding cancer and aging. He told Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel he lost much of his research when he left MIT and has relied on private funding to continue it.
Boston 25 News reached out to MIT for comment. A spokesperson provided information from a letter sent out on April 1, 2022, by then-President L. Rafael Reif, stating that Sabatini had stepped down from his position after a review was conducted by several faculty members: Biology Department Head Alan Grossman, Dean of Science Nergis Mavalvala, and Provost Marty.
<i>“The reviewers found that Professor Sabatini behaved in ways incompatible with the responsibilities of faculty membership and that Professor Sabatini violated MIT’s Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships in the Workplace or Academic Environment policy. Specifically, the reviewers found Professor Sabatini engaged in a sexual relationship with a person over whom he held a career-influencing role, he did not disclose the relationship at any time to his supervisors, and he failed to take any steps to relinquish his mentoring and career-influencing roles, as the policy requires. The Committee also had significant concerns regarding his unprofessional behavior toward some lab members.”</i>
— Massachusetts Institute of Technology
According to the spokesperson for the Institute, the consensual relationship policy was in effect after being announced in 2018.
Boston 25 News previously requested an interview with Knouse. Her attorney did not respond to emails.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW