NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, has resigned as co-director of a leading brain research institute at Columbia University after acknowledging his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Axel announced Tuesday that he will step down from his leadership role at Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. He said he decided in light of renewed scrutiny over his association with Epstein, whose ties to powerful figures have drawn attention following the release of Justice Department files.

Axel said he will continue his work as a professor and researcher at the university. Axel’s resignation comes weeks after the release of millions of pages of Department of Justice documents related to Epstein. The files detail how Epstein maintained relationships with wealthy and influential individuals even after his 2008 felony conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Axel has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Columbia University said it found no evidence that he violated university policy or broke the law. Still, the documents show that Axel visited Epstein’s Manhattan home and communicated with him over several years. According to reports, Axel also served as an intermediary between Epstein and Columbia officials in matters related to admissions and philanthropy. Emails cited in public records show correspondence between Axel and Epstein from 2010 to 2019.

One document includes a 2011 flight ticket for Axel and his wife to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island served as a transit point for guests traveling to Epstein’s private island, Little St. James. Additional emails reference invitations for Axel to visit Epstein’s Manhattan residence. In a written statement, Axel described his relationship with Epstein as a “serious error in judgment.”

“My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret,” Axel said. “I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues.”

He added that the details that have emerged about Epstein’s conduct make his past association “all the more painful and inexcusable.”

Axel informed the university that he will step down as co-director to focus on research and teaching in his laboratory. He also resigned from his role as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The institute said it will continue to fund current members of Axel’s lab so they can complete ongoing research projects.

Columbia University supported Axel’s decision. In a statement, the university said it agreed with his choice to resign amid the continued fallout from the Justice Department file release. The university praised Axel’s long career and contributions to science. Officials highlighted his dedication to students, colleagues, and research. Columbia noted that Axel has served as a professor at the institution for more than five decades.

“I have been a professor at Columbia for 53 years and remain devoted to this exceptional institution,” Axel said in his statement. He confirmed that he will continue to lead his lab at the Zuckerman Institute.

Axel remains one of the most respected neuroscientists in the world. In 2004, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Linda B. Buck for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system.

According to the Nobel Committee, Axel and Buck identified how hundreds of genes in human DNA code for odorant receptors in the nose. Their work transformed scientists’ understanding of how the brain processes smell.

Columbia credited Axel’s research with advancing knowledge of how the brain perceives the world. The university said his discoveries also contributed to the development of protein-based therapies that save lives. Axel’s resignation marks another chapter in the ongoing scrutiny facing universities and research institutions over past ties to Epstein. The release of federal documents has prompted renewed questions about accountability in academic and philanthropic circles.

While Axel faces no allegations of misconduct, his leadership role placed him at the center of public attention. By stepping down, he aims to preserve trust in the institution and focus on his scientific work.