Lee Smolin
Theoretical physicist; founding faculty member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; author of The Trouble with Physics and Three Roads to Quantum Gravity
Lee Smolin — Theoretical physicist; founding faculty member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; author of The Trouble with Physics and Three Roads to Quantum Gravity — is named in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein files. DOJ-released Epstein files, reported by CBC News and CP24, document email correspondence between Smolin and Epstein continuing at least into 2013, years after Epstein's 2008 criminal conviction. In a September 2009 email, Smolin wrote to Epstein: "I hear that you are out and living there at home. Hope all is well," to which Epstein responded offering to fly Smolin's family to Florida for a visit. In November 2010, Smolin emailed Epstein saying he had been "too much out of touch" and was "sorry for missing friends including you," expressing hope to see Epstein "sometime soon." A June 2015 document from J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, Inc., released as part of the DOJ file dump, references the foundation's support for scientists including Smolin; Smolin has stated that he received grants from the Jesse Philips Foundation from 1997 to 2001 and that he "received no funding after I moved to Canada." When the Epstein files were released in January 2026, the Perimeter Institute's executive director Marcela Carena sent an email to staff announcing that Smolin had "agreed to pause his working relationship" with the institute while it conducted a review. Smolin is known for his work on loop quantum gravity and his popular science books challenging string theory. No wrongdoing is alleged against him. This profile is auto-generated from public reporting and is pending editorial review; inclusion does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.
Auto-generated profile pending review. This entry was compiled from public reporting because Lee Smolin is named in connection with the Epstein files. It has not yet been editorially expanded.
Is Lee Smolin in the Epstein files?
Yes. Lee Smolin (Theoretical physicist; founding faculty member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; author of The Trouble with Physics and Three Roads to Quantum Gravity) is named in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein files. DOJ-released Epstein files, reported by CBC News and CP24, document email correspondence between Smolin and Epstein continuing at least into 2013, years after Epstein’s 2008 criminal conviction. In a September 2009 email, Smolin wrote to Epstein: “I hear that you are out and living there at home. Hope all is well,” to which Epstein responded offering to fly Smolin’s family to Florida for a visit. In November 2010, Smolin emailed Epstein saying he had been “too much out of touch” and was “sorry for missing friends including you,” expressing hope to see Epstein “sometime soon.” A June 2015 document from J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, Inc., released as part of the DOJ file dump, references the foundation’s support for scientists including Smolin; Smolin has stated that he received grants from the Jesse Philips Foundation from 1997 to 2001 and that he “received no funding after I moved to Canada.” When the Epstein files were released in January 2026, the Perimeter Institute’s executive director Marcela Carena sent an email to staff announcing that Smolin had “agreed to pause his working relationship” with the institute while it conducted a review. Smolin is known for his work on loop quantum gravity and his popular science books challenging string theory. No wrongdoing is alleged against him.
Being named in the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing. People appear in these documents in many contexts — correspondence, flight logs, contact books, scheduling, photographs, or passing references. See the sources below for the specific, documented context, and the note at the bottom of this page.
Connections
View in network →People most often named alongside Lee Smolin in coverage, plus documented connections. Counts reflect shared articles, not verified relationships.