NEW: Prominent Yale Professor Suspended Over Epstein Emails

Yale University has suspended computer science professor David Gelernter from teaching duties following the release of documents detailing his communications with notorious sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Gelernter, a prominent figure in artificial intelligence and parallel computing, will remain on administrative leave pending the investigation. The suspension comes amid a broader review of faculty conduct linked to Epstein’s social network.

Gelernter’s connection to Epstein emerged from emails unsealed in federal court documents. In October 2011 — four years after Epstein’s guilty plea to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida — Gelernter emailed him recommending a Yale undergraduate for an internship.

Describing the student as a “good-looking blonde,” Gelernter noted Epstein’s interest in “girls,” adding, “like every other unmarried billionaire in America.” He also complained about the workload of grading papers and invited Epstein to speak on campus.

Epstein, who donated $150,000 to Harvard around that time but not Yale, did not accept the invitation. In a February 5, 2026, email to Yale Dean Scott Strobel, Gelernter defended the correspondence, stating he stood by his description and viewed it as standard networking advice.

Ultimately, university officials determined that the emails raised concerns about professional conduct and student safety, prompting a wider review.

David Gelernter speaks at a tech summit in 2010
Photo: Doc Searls

Born in 1955, Gelernter earned his bachelor’s and Ph.D. from Yale in the 1970s. He joined the faculty in 1986 and has authored books such as Mirror Worlds (1991), which explored computational simulations, and Tides of Mind (2016), on human consciousness.

In 1993, Gelernter was seriously injured when a mail bomb sent by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski exploded at his home. The bombing left him with vision loss in one eye and permanent nerve damage in his right hand.

The suspension aligns with scrutiny of other academics in Epstein’s orbit, including Harvard’s Martin Nowak, who lost a university title last week. Elsewhere at Harvard, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who served under President Bill Clinton, stepped away from his teaching role due to his close personal ties with Epstein.

In the financial world, former Obama White House legal counsel Kathryn Ruemmler resigned from her role chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs after emails surfaced showing her extensive contact with Epstein after his sex crimes conviction.

The resignations come amid the release of more than three-million documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case, which were released as a result of the bipartisan Epstein Transparency Act. While the new releases contain several new emails and videos from Epstein’s personal correspondence, they also contain thousands of unverified allegations, anonymous tips, and unsubstantiated claims, many from preliminary investigations

RELATED: Bombshell Court Doc Shows Trump Called Police About Epstein In 2006