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By Gabe Whisnant
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Yale University said a prominent computer science professor will not teach classes while the school reviews his conduct following the release of emails showing he described an undergraduate student’s appearance in a message to Jeffrey Epstein.
The professor, David Gelernter, 70, has been on Yale’s faculty since 1982 and is known for his work in parallel computing and for helping develop the Linda programming system. He also survived a 1993 mail bombing carried out by “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski that left him seriously injured.
According to the Yale Daily News, Gelernter defended his 2011 message in emails to a college dean and the student newspaper.
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In that correspondence, he wrote that he was aware Epstein was “obsessed with girls” and said he was keeping “the potential boss’s habits in mind” when describing the student. He maintained that he did not dishonor the student and said he would not retract what he wrote.
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“So long as I said nothing that dishonored her in any conceivable way, I’d have told him more or less what he wanted,” he wrote, according to the student newspaper. He described the student as “smart, charming & gorgeous” and added, “I’m very glad I wrote the note.”
The university said it does not condone the conduct described in the emails and has launched a review. Until that process is complete, Gelernter will not teach his course.
Emails to Jeffrey Epstein Surface in Justice Department Release
Messages between Gelernter and the late financier were included in a tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the U.S. Justice Department in late January. The records show the two men corresponded on topics including business and art.
In an October 2011 email, several years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, Gelernter recommended a Yale senior for a summer job. In that message, he referred to the student as a “v small good-looking blonde” and used the term “editoress” when describing her candidacy.
At the time, Epstein had already served jail time under a state plea agreement in 2008 and 2009. He later died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Yale Places Professor on Leave From Teaching
Students enrolled in Gelernter’s computer science course were notified this week that he would not be teaching.
In a statement, Yale said: “The university does not condone the action taken by the professor or his described manner of providing recommendations for his students. The professor’s conduct is under review. Until the review is completed, the professor will not teach his class.”
Yale declined to release a copy of Gelernter’s correspondence with school officials.
Yale officials have not said how long the review of Gelernter’s conduct will take. The university has also not indicated whether additional disciplinary action could follow.
For now, the review remains ongoing as the school continues to address the fallout from the newly disclosed correspondence.
Gelernter did not respond to requests for comment sent by the Associated Press to publicly listed contact information.
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Gelernter Defends Email in Message to Yale Dean, Students
In a separate message to students Tuesday, first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media Group and later obtained by The Associated Press, Gelernter again defended the email and said it prompted his suspension from teaching.
He said he was recommending the student for a position at Epstein’s private bank at her request and that neither he nor the student knew at the time that Epstein was a convicted sex offender.
“The university’s Smoking Gun is a personal, private email, dug out of the dump of Epstein files,” Gelernter wrote to students. He criticized the disclosure of private correspondence and argued that reading others’ mail violated basic courtesy.
Yale Student Reaction and Ongoing Scrutiny
Some students expressed shock upon learning of the emails and their professor’s connection to Epstein.
Kris Aziabor, a 21-year-old senior from Atkinson, New Hampshire, said there was an initial wave of disbelief among classmates. He said he was particularly surprised by Gelernter’s defense of his past remarks.
Epstein’s associations with prominent figures in the United States and Europe have drawn renewed scrutiny following the Justice Department’s document release. Gelernter is among those facing questions about past communications with the disgraced financier.
Gelernter’s Academic Career and Unabomber Injury
Gelernter's 1991 book “Mirror Worlds” anticipated aspects of the World Wide Web and helped inspire the development of the Java programming language, according to his Yale biography. His research in parallel computation focuses on using multiple computer processes to solve complex problems.
In 1993, Gelernter was seriously injured when he opened a package bomb sent to his Yale office by Kaczynski, who carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. Gelernter sustained wounds to his abdomen, chest, face and hands but later returned to teaching and scholarship.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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