Leiden professor harassed, belittled, and threatened female colleagues for years: report

The professor discredited at Leiden University last week was guilty of intimidating and undesirable behavior against female colleagues for “several years,” including at least one case of sexual harassment. Annetje Ottow, chairman of the university’s executive board, confirmed this to NRC.

Several sources told the newspaper that the man in question is professor of theoretical astronomy Tim de Zeeuw. He is the former director of Leiden Sterrewacht, whose employees are furious that the university refused to reveal his name or dismiss him. According to NRC, the professor belittled and insulted women in public, abused his position of power by threatening to damage their scientific careers, and sexually harassed them.

Ottow acknowledged that, in addition to intimidating and undesirable behavior, there was “a component of sexual harassment” by the professor. He “undesirably physically approached” at least one woman, Ottow said.

“There was a pattern,” Ottow said. Looking back, the university should have paid more attention to the victims’ position and acted sooner. There were signals that all was not right around the professor for some time. “They were not taken or addressed seriously enough. That touches me.”

According to NRC, Ottow emphatically refused to confirm the professor’s name in the interview. “No matter how serious the allegations are, you have to observe the rules of labor law and privacy law,” she said.

When asked why the university did not dismiss the man despite several years of alleged misconduct, the university said there are “various reasons, including employment law.”

Ottow would not elaborate. “The Complaints Committee advised to suspend him, given all the circumstances, and to deny him access to our buildings. We followed that advice.”

The professor keeps his salary. He cannot return to the university, is not allowed to supervise any Ph.D. students, and can no longer use any of the facilities that professors have access to