Yale Professor Faces Review After Epstein Email About Student

University says professor's conduct is under review after email describing student's appearance was uncovered in Epstein files.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Yale University has released a statement after Professor David Gelernter said he was 'glad' he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein about a student he was teaching. The email exchange from 2011 included Gelernter referring to the student as a 'v small goodlooking blonde'. The university has confirmed Gelernter is facing a review and will not teach his class until the review is completed.

Why it matters

The revelations about Gelernter's correspondence with Epstein come as the Department of Justice continues to release millions of pages, photographs, and emails related to the late financier and his network of connections. This latest incident raises further questions about what professors and other academics may have known about Epstein's criminal activities.

The details

In the 2011 email, Gelernter referred to the student as a 'v small goodlooking blonde' and said he kept 'the potential boss's habits in mind' when communicating with Epstein. Gelernter has defended the email, saying the student had become a 'family friend' and stayed at his and his wife's house. However, the university has stated that Gelernter's 'conduct is under review' and that he will not teach his class until the review is completed.

  • The email exchange between Gelernter and Epstein took place in 2011.

The players

David Gelernter

A professor of computer science at Yale University who is facing a review by the university after an email he sent to Jeffrey Epstein about a student was uncovered.

Jeffrey Epstein

A convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Millions of pages, photographs, and emails related to Epstein and his network of connections continue to be released by the Department of Justice.

Karen Peart

A spokesperson for Yale University who confirmed that Gelernter's conduct is under review and that he will not teach his class until the review is completed.

Johann Ortiz

A student of Gelernter's who said that the department chair, Holly Rushmeier, informed them that Gelernter is 'suspended from interacting with students' and that she would be taking over teaching the class for the rest of the term.

Holly Rushmeier

The chair of Yale's Computer Science department who is taking over teaching Gelernter's class for the rest of the term.

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What they’re saying

“The university does not condone the action taken by the professor or his described manner of providing recommendations for his students.”

— Karen Peart, Yale University spokesperson (Yale Daily News)

“All she said was that Gelernter is suspended from interacting with students. He's not teaching. That's all that she said.”

— Johann Ortiz, Student (Yale Daily News)

“If someone handed you a stack of other people's private correspondence, would you dive in and read them? Of course not. Gentlemen and ladies don't read each other's mail.”

— David Gelernter (Yale Daily News)

“So long as I said nothing that dishonored her in any conceivable way, I'd have told him more or less what he wanted.”

— David Gelernter (Newsweek)

“I'm very glad I wrote the note.”

— David Gelernter (Newsweek)

What’s next

The university has stated that Gelernter's conduct is under review, and he will not be allowed to teach his class until the review is completed.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the continued scrutiny of connections between academics, public figures, and convicted sex offenders like Jeffrey Epstein, raising concerns about what professors and others may have known about Epstein's criminal activities.