Eric Lander quits as Biden’s top science adviser after bullying investigation

Joe Biden's top science adviser, Eric Lander, resigned on Monday, hours after the White House confirmed an internal investigation found credible evidence he mistreated his staff. It was the first cabinet-level departure of the Biden administration.

An internal review prompted by a workplace complaint found evidence Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to Biden, bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully.

The White House rebuked Lander but signaled he would be allowed to remain, despite Biden's inauguration day assertion that he expected "honesty and decency" and would fire anyone who showed disrespect to others "on the spot".

Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, said Biden accepted Lander's resignation with "gratitude for his work at OTSP on the pandemic, the Cancer Moonshot, climate change, and other key priorities".

Lander, in his resignation letter, said: "I am devastated that I caused hurt to past and present colleagues by the way in which I have spoken to them. I believe it is not possible to continue effectively in my role, and the work of this office is far too important to be hindered."

The White House said Biden did not request Lander's resignation. Earlier, Psaki said senior officials met Lander but indicated he would be allowed to stay in the job, saying the administration was following a "process" to handle workplace complaints.

"Following the conclusion of the thorough investigation into these actions, senior White House officials conveyed directly to Dr Lander that his behavior was inappropriate, and the corrective actions that were needed, which the White House will monitor for compliance moving forward," she said.

"The president has been crystal clear with all of us about his high expectations of how he and his staff should be creating a respectful work environment."

The White House said Lander and OSTP would be required to take corrective actions. It also said the review did not find "credible evidence" of gender-based discrimination and the reassignment of the staffer who filed the complaint was "deemed appropriate".

Lander issued an apology to staffers, acknowledging "I have spoken to colleagues within OSTP in a disrespectful or demeaning way."

"I am deeply sorry for my conduct," he added. "I especially want to apologize to those of you who I treated poorly, or were present at the time."

The White House review was completed weeks ago but confirmed only after reporting by Politico.

Biden's "Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy" was meant to serve as a contrast from the way Donald Trump and his aides treated one another and political foes.

Lander's conduct and the White House's decision to stand by him sparked consternation. By late Monday, Lander came to believe he was in an untenable position and resigned.

There are five deputy directors at the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Kei Koizumi is the deputy director for policy. The former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco is the deputy for climate science. Sally Benson is the deputy for energy. Carrie Wolinetz is the deputy director for health and life science. Alondra Nelson is the deputy director for science and society.

The world's largest general science society disinvited Lander from speaking at its annual meeting. The American Association for the Advancement of Science chief executive, Sudip Parikh, said he did not know if that had anything to do with the resignation.

"I hope that we sent the right message about what's important," Parikh said. "The time of letting these things go is over. Not just in sciences, but in workplaces all across America.

"This is an administration that has put a lot of their political capital into science and technology. It's a tough role to fill. It's very possible and very likely that that person could be a woman."

Lander, whose position was elevated to cabinet rank by Biden, appeared prominently with the president last week when he relaunched his "Cancer Moonshot" program.

The founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Lander is a mathematician and molecular biologist. He was lead author of the first paper announcing the details of the human genome, the so-called "book of life".

His confirmation was delayed for months as senators sought information about meetings he had with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier charged with sex trafficking. Lander was also criticized for downplaying the contributions of two Nobel prize-winning female scientists.

At his confirmation hearing, Lander apologized for a 2016 article that downplayed the work of the female scientists. He also called Epstein "an abhorrent individual".

Lander said he "understated the importance of those key advances" by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna. The two were awarded the Nobel prize in chemistry.

Lander's departure echoed the February 2021 resignation of a White House deputy press secretary, TJ Ducklo, over threatening conversations with a reporter.