Biden science adviser Eric Lander resigns after admitting to 'demeaning' treatment of staff

Eric Lander, President Biden's top science adviser, resigned on Monday night after it was reported that an internal White House investigation found he had bullied his former general counsel.

Lander was director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a Cabinet-level position. In his letter to Biden, Lander said it "has been a great honor" to serve as science adviser, and he is "devastated that I caused hurt to past and present colleagues by the way in which I have spoken to them. But it is clear that things I said, and the way I said them, crossed the line at times into being disrespectful and demeaning, to both men and women."

Politico was the first to report on the investigation into Lander, which found there was "credible evidence" he bullied then-general counsel Rachel Wallace and had "disrespectful interactions with staff." More than a dozen current and former Office of Science and Technology Policy staffers told Politico that Lander belittled, cut off, and dismissed subordinates and talked to women "in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

On Monday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden 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," and changes would be made at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Lander is the first Cabinet-level member of the Biden administration to resign. A professor at MIT and Harvard Medical School, he was the founding director of the Broad Institute, a MacArthur Fellow, and a leader of the Human Genome Project.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.