Leiden University in the Netherlands has “removed” prominent theoretical astronomer Tim de Zeeuw, a former head of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), for bullying subordinates and what it calls “extremely unacceptable” behavior toward women colleagues over a long period of time. De Zeeuw will not be allowed to return to the university and can no longer supervise Ph.D. candidates. He will keep his job and salary, however.
In an 18 October statement about the case, the university did not mention De Zeeuw by name but instead talked about an anonymous “professor”; the university’s Executive Board says Dutch privacy law bans the school from publicly identifying the culprit. Yesterday, the Dutch newspaper NRC was the first to mention De Zeeuw’s name, based on unnamed sources. Today, De Zeeuw sent a statement to Science via his lawyer, Merienke Zwaan, that confirms he is the accused scientist. He acknowledged having been “unpleasant and impatient in an old-fashioned way, which no longer fits in the current spirit of the times,” but said he disagreed with the university’s decision. “It has never been my intention to hurt or harm people. I am very sorry that people have experienced my behaviour as negative,” De Zeeuw stated.
The university has not made the investigation report public, but a 21 October column by Executive Board President Annetje Ottow addressed to the academic community offered some details. “We are talking here about … abuse of power, gender discrimination...
A video shared by journalist Piyush Rai on September 29, Wednesday, showed several police officials watching and recording certain female performers dancing during the Baba Lat Bhairav baarat proc...