Nathan Wolfe

Nathan Wolfe is an American virologist known for his work on pandemic prediction and prevention. He founded the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (later Global Viral) and the firm Metabiota, conducted years of biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, and authored the 2011 book The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age. The Stanford Daily reports that he was formerly the Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Human Biology at Stanford and that his LinkedIn profile describes him as a Visiting Scholar at the Quake Lab in Stanford’s Department of Bioengineering.

The Stanford Daily reported on February 3, 2026 that Wolfe’s full name appears 589 times in the released Epstein files, describing “friendly communications between the two men from 2008–2013.” According to the same reporting, in December 2010 Wolfe invited Epstein to a dinner, and in May 2013 he proposed a study linking “sexual behavior and microbial diversity” — a project he referred to as a “horny virus hypothesis” — explicitly raising Epstein’s potential funding for it. The Stanford Daily also reported that Wolfe’s 2012 book referenced Epstein as a “loyal and generous” friend. The correspondence postdated Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea to state charges.

In a statement reported by The Stanford Daily on February 5, 2026, Wolfe denied any wrongdoing, said the research project was never pursued and that he never received funding from Epstein, and stated that he met Epstein professionally at his New York and Palm Beach homes but never visited his island or flew on his plane. He acknowledged “overfamiliarity and poor judgment” in the correspondence and said, “I never witnessed or participated in any misconduct or inappropriate behavior,” adding, “I deeply regret having had any association with someone responsible for such widespread abuse.”

Is Nathan Wolfe in the Epstein files?

Yes. As reported by The Stanford Daily on February 3, 2026, virologist Nathan Wolfe’s full name appears 589 times in the released Epstein files, which include friendly correspondence between Wolfe and Jeffrey Epstein from 2008 to 2013 and a request for research funding. Wolfe has publicly denied any wrongdoing, said he never received funding from Epstein, and expressed regret over the association. Being named in the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing; people appear in these documents in many contexts, including correspondence and funding solicitations. See the sources above for the documented details.

Evidence

These passages come from the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice, as reviewed by The Stanford Daily, with our annotations connecting each to the claims this profile makes. Read the originals via the link beneath the panel.

Read the originals: DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release portal) ↗

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Nathan Wolfe. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Wolfe has denied any wrongdoing, said he never received funding from Epstein, and expressed regret over the association.

• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release portal) — As reported by The Stanford Daily (February 3, 2026), Wolfe’s full name appears 589 times in the files released by the Justice Department, which include friendly correspondence with Epstein from 2008 to 2013 — among them a December 2010 dinner invitation and a May 2013 message proposing a study on “sexual behavior and microbial diversity” that raised Epstein’s potential funding.