Embattled Researcher Sabatini Withdraws from Consideration for NYU Position

David Sabatini/Courtesy Whitehead Institute (MIT) 

David Sabatini has withdrawn his name from consideration for a faculty post at New York University Langone Health.

In a brief statement sent to BioSpace this morning, Sabatini announced his decision. He said “false, distorted, and preposterous allegations” about him have intensified across news outlets and social media following reports that he was up for a faculty position.

“I understand the enormous pressure this has placed on NYU Langone Health and do not want to distract from its important mission.  I have therefore decided to withdraw my name from consideration for a faculty position there,” Sabatini said in his statement. “I deeply respect NYU Langone Health’s mission and appreciate the support from individuals who took the time to learn the facts. I remain steadfast in believing that the truth will ultimately emerge and that I will eventually be vindicated and able to return to my research.”

Last week, reports surfaced that Sabatini, who was ousted last year by the Whitehead Institute over allegations of sexual harassment, was up for the faculty position at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine. The hiring of Sabatini reportedly had the support of Robert Grossman, the medical school dean, as well as Executive Vice President and Vice Dean for Science Dafna Bar-Sagi, Science reported at the time.

When reports of his possible hiring surfaced, concerns over his appointment were raised by current faculty and staff, according to the reports.

A noted cell biology researcher, Sabatini has filed a counter lawsuit against Whitehead alleging he is a victim of false claims. As BioSpace has previously reported, Sabatini claimed in his lawsuit that a sexual relationship between him and his accuser was consensual. Sabatini, who maintained an HHMI-supported lab at the Whitehead Institute, said he ended the relationship in 2019 but that the accuser, a co-worker, did not want things to end. Sabatini claims that he stressed, “on multiple occasions that he did not want a long-term relationship.” Once he ended the relationship though, she sought revenge, he claimed.

In addition to holding a post at the Whitehead Institute, Sabatini was also a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a position he resigned earlier this year ahead of what was likely to be a dismissal following an investigation into his situation. It was likely that he would have been terminated by MIT for violating the school’s policy on consensual sexual relationships.

Two years ago, Sabatini, along with Michael Hall from Biozentrum, Universität Basel in Switzerland, won the Sjöberg Prize for their research into cell metabolism and cell growth. The prize was awarded based on discoveries made by researchers that showed proteins that regulate cell growth. Sabatini’s discovery was in mammals, which showed the protein, dubbed mTOR, senses nutrients and controls how they are used in vital processes in human cells. In some types of cancer, mTOR has been shown to be overactive and stimulate the growth of cancer cells.