Nobel prize-winning scientist Sir Tim Hunt has resigned from UCL, following sexist comments he made at a science journalism conference in South Korea. "Let me tell you about my trouble with girls ... three things happen when they are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry," he told a room of women at the conference.
Immediately after the remarks were made public, the Royal Society, an institution at which Hunt holds the position of fellow, published a statement on its website under the headline "Science needs women". The Royal Society aimed to distance itself from the the comments made by Hunt, pointing out that he was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the Society. "Too many talented individuals do not fulfil their scientific potential because of issues such as gender and the Society is committed to helping to put this right," the statement reads.
UCL followed suit today with a statement of its own, which announced Hunt's resignation. "UCL can confirm that Sir Tim Hunt FRS has today resigned from his position as Honorary Professor with the UCL Faculty of Life Sciences, following comments he made about women in science at the World Conference of Science Journalists on 9 June. "UCL was the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms to men, and the university believes that this outcome is compatible with our commitment to gender equality."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
