Who is Martin Nowak? Over 4,000 Mentions — How Harvard’s Professor Maintained Close Ties With Jeffrey Epstein Post-Conviction | Explained

A senior Harvard professor’s long-standing connections to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are laid out in thousands of pages of recently released federal records, showing a relationship that involved millions in research funding, coded messages, and travel to Epstein’s estates. Professor Martin Nowak, a well-known mathematical biologist, appears more than 4,000 times in the records released under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Who is Martin Nowak?

Martin Nowak is an Austrian-born professor of math and biology at Harvard University, widely seen as a leader in evolutionary dynamics. His research explores how cooperation develops, as well as viral systems and cancer progression. A highly cited scholar, he has worked in positions at Oxford and the Institute for Advanced Study. At Harvard, he founded and ran the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED).

Why is He Connected to the Epstein Files?

Jeffrey Epstein and Nowak had a close, long-standing financial and personal relationship that persisted even after Epstein's 2008 conviction.

Major Funding: In 2003, Epstein provided a $6.5 million gift to establish the PED at Harvard, which Nowak led. This constituted the bulk of Epstein’s $9.1 million in donations to the university.

Ongoing Access: Epstein kept a private office in the PED building for almost ten years, visiting more than forty times between 2010 and 2018, in spite of his sentence.

Cryptic Emails: The files include a 2014 email exchange where Nowak wrote to Epstein, “our spy was captured after completing her mission.” Epstein replied, “did you torture her?” The context remains unexplained.

Personal Ties: Correspondence shows Nowak stayed at Epstein’s New York apartment, thanked Ghislaine Maxwell for “amazing hospitality,” and was a planned beneficiary of a $5 million bequest from Epstein just days before his death.

Private Travel: Emails detail arrangements for Nowak and a companion to fly to St. Thomas, near Epstein’s private islands, in 2012 and 2014.

What Was the Impact on Nowak’s Career at Harvard?

In 2020, Harvard disciplinary action was taken on Nowak after conducting an internal review of its Epstein ties.

• Sanctions: In 2021, Harvard placed Nowak on paid administrative leave, barred him from undergraduate supervision for two years, and permanently closed the PED.
• Reinstatement: All sanctions were lifted in 2023. Nowak remains a tenured professor with joint appointments in Mathematics and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.
• Colleague Defense: Some, like Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig, argued Nowak was “scapegoated,” claiming the administration encouraged the relationship to secure Epstein’s funding.

What is Nowak’s Current Status?

Nowak has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. He continues his academic work at Harvard. The university has stated that its 2020 review and subsequent actions concluded its investigation into the matter.

Disclaimer: This information is based on inputs from news agency reports. TSG does not independently confirm the information provided by the relevant sources.