The Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
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Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
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StudentNation
/ February 12, 2026
Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
After outcry from students over e-mails showing David Gelernter’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the computer science professor is under review by the university.
Zachary Clifton
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David Gelernter, professor of computer science and a specialist in artificial intelligence at Yale University.
(James Leynse / Getty)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
On an ordinary Thursday, in June 1993, on the fifth floor of Arthur K. Watson Hall at Yale, a computer science professor opened mail in his office. David Gelernter believed that what sat on his desk was a stack of letters, one of the packages probably a dissertation from a graduate student. But when he tore open the package, it began smoking. It was an explosive device from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Upon detonation, the bomb damaged four fingers on Gelernter’s right hand along with his right eye.
Still, Gelernter survived one of the Unabomber’s attacks against influential academics leading the digital revolution. At Yale, Gelernter is best known for being the worst-ranked professor in the university’s computer science department. Nationally, he’s known for being a contrarian in academia and clashing against scientific consensus on climate change. For that role, Gelernter met with Donald Trump in 2017 and was floated as a potential science adviser during his first term.
In January, another explosion rocked Arthur K. Watson Hall: the revelation that Gelernter had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In dozens of e-mails, between 2009 and 2015, Gelernter corresponded with the convicted sex offender, according to files released by the Department of Justice.
In 2010, Gelernter invited Epstein to New Haven, even offering the hospital’s heliport for his helicopter to land. In April 2011, Gelernter seemingly solicited money and advice from Epstein for a business venture, discussing operating budgets and development costs, including “executive salaries” for himself and two others. In another e-mail, released in late January, Gelernter recommended one of …
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Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
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StudentNation
/ February 12, 2026
Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
After outcry from students over e-mails showing David Gelernter’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the computer science professor is under review by the university.
Zachary Clifton
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
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David Gelernter, professor of computer science and a specialist in artificial intelligence at Yale University.
(James Leynse / Getty)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
On an ordinary Thursday, in June 1993, on the fifth floor of Arthur K. Watson Hall at Yale, a computer science professor opened mail in his office. David Gelernter believed that what sat on his desk was a stack of letters, one of the packages probably a dissertation from a graduate student. But when he tore open the package, it began smoking. It was an explosive device from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Upon detonation, the bomb damaged four fingers on Gelernter’s right hand along with his right eye.
Still, Gelernter survived one of the Unabomber’s attacks against influential academics leading the digital revolution. At Yale, Gelernter is best known for being the worst-ranked professor in the university’s computer science department. Nationally, he’s known for being a contrarian in academia and clashing against scientific consensus on climate change. For that role, Gelernter met with Donald Trump in 2017 and was floated as a potential science adviser during his first term.
In January, another explosion rocked Arthur K. Watson Hall: the revelation that Gelernter had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In dozens of e-mails, between 2009 and 2015, Gelernter corresponded with the convicted sex offender, according to files released by the Department of Justice.
In 2010, Gelernter invited Epstein to New Haven, even offering the hospital’s heliport for his helicopter to land. In April 2011, Gelernter seemingly solicited money and advice from Epstein for a business venture, discussing operating budgets and development costs, including “executive salaries” for himself and two others. In another e-mail, released in late January, Gelernter recommended one of …
The Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
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Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
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Current Issue
Society
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StudentNation
/ February 12, 2026
Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
After outcry from students over e-mails showing David Gelernter’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the computer science professor is under review by the university.
Zachary Clifton
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
David Gelernter, professor of computer science and a specialist in artificial intelligence at Yale University.
(James Leynse / Getty)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
On an ordinary Thursday, in June 1993, on the fifth floor of Arthur K. Watson Hall at Yale, a computer science professor opened mail in his office. David Gelernter believed that what sat on his desk was a stack of letters, one of the packages probably a dissertation from a graduate student. But when he tore open the package, it began smoking. It was an explosive device from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Upon detonation, the bomb damaged four fingers on Gelernter’s right hand along with his right eye.
Still, Gelernter survived one of the Unabomber’s attacks against influential academics leading the digital revolution. At Yale, Gelernter is best known for being the worst-ranked professor in the university’s computer science department. Nationally, he’s known for being a contrarian in academia and clashing against scientific consensus on climate change. For that role, Gelernter met with Donald Trump in 2017 and was floated as a potential science adviser during his first term.
In January, another explosion rocked Arthur K. Watson Hall: the revelation that Gelernter had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In dozens of e-mails, between 2009 and 2015, Gelernter corresponded with the convicted sex offender, according to files released by the Department of Justice.
In 2010, Gelernter invited Epstein to New Haven, even offering the hospital’s heliport for his helicopter to land. In April 2011, Gelernter seemingly solicited money and advice from Epstein for a business venture, discussing operating budgets and development costs, including “executive salaries” for himself and two others. In another e-mail, released in late January, Gelernter recommended one of …
