SAN FRANCISCO ― A prominent astronomer resigned Wednesday from the University of California, Berkeley, after an investigation found he sexually harassed female students over many years, two top administrators said.
The university immediately accepted professor Geoffrey Marcy’s resignation, according to a statement from Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Claude Steele. It called Marcy’s conduct “contemptible and inexcusable.”
“We also want to express our sympathy to the women who were victimized, and we deeply regret the pain they have suffered,” the statement said.
The university has not released details of a six-month investigation into one of the world’s leading experts on planets outside Earth’s solar system, which found he violated the campus’ sexual harassment policies. The inquiry that ended in June stemmed from complaints from former students and involved incidents dating as far back as 2001.
An email to Marcy wasn’t immediately returned. He apologized last week, but the university faced growing pressure to fire him.
“UC Berkeley’s reaction to the finding that Professor Geoff Marcy violated the university’s sexual harassment policies has been the subject of understandable criticism and anger,” the administrators said.
After the investigation and the nature of the complaints first were reported by BuzzFeed News, UC Berkeley said Marcy had agreed to clear parameters around his behavior, knowing that he would be subject to automatic suspension or dismissal for any violations.
