American molecular biologist and neuroscientist who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (with Linda Buck) for discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system. A University Professor at Columbia University and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Axel maintained a social relationship with Epstein from the 1980s through at least 2017. In February 2026, he resigned as co-director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and from HHMI following revelations of his Epstein ties.
RESIGNATION: On February 24, 2026, Axel resigned as co-director of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, citing his association with Epstein as "a serious error in judgment." He also resigned as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Axel was a frequent guest at Epstein's Manhattan home and maintained contact until three months before the 2019 arrest.