Prominent Whitehead Institute Cell Biologist Terminated for Sexual Harassment 

David Sabatini, a prominent cell biology researcher at the Whitehead Institute who won the 2020 Sjöberg Prize for discovering a new protein in mammals that regulates cell growth, has been terminated from The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) after an independent investigation corroborated allegations of sexual harassment. 

Sabatini had initially been suspended from his position, but following the conclusion of the investigation, he was terminated over the weekend. Science was the first to report Sabatini’s firing. Citing an internal email from Whitehead Institute Director Ruth Lehmann, the external investigation found that Sabatini “violated the Institute’s policies on sexual harassment among other policies unrelated to research misconduct.”

The Boston Globe reported that the investigation into Sabatini followed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey conducted last year that raised “issues of particular concern” regarding the biology researcher's lab at the Whitehead Institute. Those concerns led the Institute to hire outside counsel to investigate.

“In sum, the investigation found that Dr. Sabatini violated the Institute’s policies on sexual harassment among other Whitehead policies unrelated to research misconduct,” Lehmann wrote in an email.

Sabatini maintained an HHMI-supported lab at the Institute that employed 39 people. Those employees of the lab will meet with the Institute’s human resources team regarding their future. The aim will be to “smoothly” transition those employees to “other situations,” according to the report.

Sabatini remains a tenured professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, a spokesperson for HHMI reviewed the Whitehead Institute investigation report and will determine the next steps. 

“An extensive investigation and report by an outside law firm retained by the Whitehead Institute has found violations of multiple Whitehead policies, including its sexual harassment policy. MIT's senior administration is reviewing the report and determining next steps in response to these findings, up to and including revocation of tenure proceedings,” an MIT spokeswoman said.

Sabatini and Michael Hall from Biozentrum, Universität Basel in Switzerland, won the 2020 Sjöberg Prize for their research into cell metabolism and cell growth. The two men discovered proteins that regulate cell growth. 

Sabatini’s discovery was in mammals. The protein has been dubbed mTOR. In his research, the doctor described how 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. Sabatini and Hall were awarded a total $1 million, which they have shared.