Fifty researchers from 33 institutions made the request after a Boston jury found Sabatini was defamed by a former colleague.
CAMBRIDGE, MA— Fifty scientists from 33 institutions in nine countries are urging the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to reconsider the process that led former biology professor David Sabatini to resign in 2022, citing evidence presented during a recent civil trial and a $6 million jury verdict in his favor.
The scientists sent a letter dated Nov. 4 to MIT leaders and members of the MIT Corporation, the university’s governing board. They asked the institute to reevaluate its recommendation to revoke Sabatini’s tenure and conduct what they described as a fair and transparent review. The request comes less than three weeks after a Suffolk County Superior Court jury found former colleague Kristin Knouse liable for defaming Sabatini and interfering with his professional relationships.
The signatories said evidence presented during the civil trial may not have been available when MIT conducted its earlier review. They also pointed to the unanimous jury verdict as a reason for the institute to reconsider the matter. Among the 50 scientists who signed the letter were three MIT faculty members: Linda Griffith, Regina Barzilay and Ömer Yilmaz. The group included researchers from institutions across nine countries.
The jury returned its verdict Oct. 16 after a three-week trial in Boston. It awarded Sabatini $6 million in damages, plus interest, after finding Knouse liable on his defamation and interference claims. The jury also rejected Knouse’s claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. Knouse’s attorney has said she plans to challenge the verdict, meaning the civil litigation is not necessarily finished.
The verdict does not itself reverse MIT’s earlier findings. MIT’s 2022 review concluded that Sabatini violated the institute’s policy governing consensual sexual or romantic relationships when a person holds professional authority over another person. MIT said at the time that Sabatini had a sexual relationship with someone over whom he held a career-influencing role, did not disclose the relationship to supervisors and did not relinquish mentoring or career-related responsibilities. Reviewers also raised concerns about his professional conduct toward some laboratory members.
MIT’s relationship policy, adopted in 2018, prohibits principal investigators from having sexual or romantic relationships with graduate students or postdoctoral scholars over whom they exercise direct or indirect authority. The policy also bars supervisors from such relationships with people they supervise, evaluate or otherwise influence. It treats those power differences as potential sources of conflicts of interest even when both people describe a relationship as consensual.
Sabatini’s departure followed separate investigations by MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Whitehead removed Sabatini from the institute in 2021 after an investigation into workplace conduct. MIT later conducted its own review, and Sabatini resigned his tenured faculty position in April 2022 after being told that the university would recommend revocation of his tenure.
Sabatini later sued Knouse and others, arguing that allegations against him had damaged his reputation and career. During the 2026 trial, jurors heard testimony and saw communications concerning the relationship and the events surrounding the investigations. The scientists now pressing MIT for another review say some of that material gives the university reason to reconsider how its earlier decision was reached. Their letter also argues that the loss of Sabatini’s position had lasting effects on his scientific career and participation in the research community.
The case has also generated concern among some members of MIT’s scientific community about the possible effect of the verdict on people considering whether to report workplace misconduct. Some researchers and students have argued that a multimillion-dollar defamation judgment could discourage people from bringing complaints. Others, including scientists who signed the Nov. 4 letter, say the trial raised questions about whether Sabatini received a sufficiently fair institutional process. Those competing concerns have made the dispute a broader debate about university procedures, workplace power and the consequences of misconduct investigations.
MIT has not announced that it will reopen Sabatini’s tenure review. Asked about the scientists’ letter, the university referred reporters to its statements from 2022 and noted that it was not a party to the lawsuit between Sabatini and Knouse. The university has continued to stand by the findings that preceded Sabatini’s resignation, while the scientists’ request and anticipated legal challenge to the jury verdict leave the dispute unresolved.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.