Eric Lander Allegedly Bullied, Disrespected Staff

More than a dozen current and former members of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have shared details of alleged mistreatment, prompting President Biden’s top scientist to issue a formal apology.

Written byAmanda Heidt

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Update (February 7): Eric Lander announced his resignation from his post as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Monday night, STAT reports.

Eric Lander, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet, issued a formal apology on Friday (February 4) after an internal investigation revealed that he had bullied and disrespected members of his staff.

“It’s my responsibility to set a respectful tone for our community. It’s clear that I have not lived up to this responsibility,” Lander wrote in an email to his 140-person staff that was provided to Politico, which first broke the story. “This is not only wrong, but also inconsistent with our Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy. It is never acceptable for me to speak that way. I am deeply sorry for my conduct. I especially want to apologize to those of you ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
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Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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