Richard Axel

Richard Axel is an American molecular biologist and University Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University. He shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the olfactory system, and he has taught and conducted research at Columbia for more than half a century.

Axel is named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The released files document that Axel met Epstein in the 1980s, that the two corresponded from 2010 until 2019, and that Axel and his wife were invited to Epstein’s island multiple times. The Columbia Daily Spectator reported that Axel was invited to Epstein’s island in 2011 and described Epstein as a “close friend of 11 years.” MSNBC (ms.now) reported that Axel maintained correspondence with Epstein, appeared in the files numerous times, and made multiple visits to Epstein’s home in Manhattan, and that it is unclear whether the island trip took place. The Daily Beast reported that flight tickets suggested Axel and his wife had planned to visit the island late in 2011 and that Axel served as an informal adviser helping the children of Epstein’s associates seek Columbia admission.

In February 2026, Axel resigned as head of Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and stepped down as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, according to MSNBC. In his statement, quoted by MSNBC, Axel said: “I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues. I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust.” The Daily Beast quoted him saying that “the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable.” Both The Daily Beast and MSNBC reported that Columbia University said it had no evidence that Axel violated any law or university policy.

Is Richard Axel in the Epstein files?

Yes. According to reporting by the Columbia Daily Spectator, MSNBC, and The Daily Beast, Richard Axel — the 2004 Nobel laureate and Columbia University neuroscientist — corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein, was invited to Epstein’s island, and made multiple visits to Epstein’s Manhattan home. Being named in the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing; Columbia University said it found no evidence that Axel violated any law or university policy, and Axel publicly apologized and resigned from leadership positions in February 2026, calling his association with Epstein a serious error in judgment. See the sources above for the documented context.

Documents

Primary-source records that reference Richard Axel. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Columbia University said it found no evidence that Axel violated any law or university policy.

• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release portal) — Reporting on the records the Department of Justice released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (per the Columbia Daily Spectator, MSNBC, and The Daily Beast) places Axel in the files numerous times, documenting correspondence with Epstein from 2010 to 2019 and an invitation to Epstein’s island.
• House Oversight Committee — Epstein records provided by the DOJ (33,295 pages, 2025) — Axel’s correspondence with Epstein is among the Epstein-related records the Department of Justice provided to Congress.