--- title: Embattled Nobel Scientist Tim Hunt Resigns After Sexist Comments description: Prof. Tim Hunt, who made headlines for his comments on the "trouble with girls" in laboratories, resigned Thursday from a London university. canonical: https://time.com/3917390/science-chauvinism-sexism-tim-hunt-resigns-university-college-london/ author: Alissa Greenberg article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-11T09:26:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:24.480Z og:title: Nobel Scientist Tim Hunt Resigns After Sexist Remarks og:description: The ex-University College London professor said his words were misconstrued og:url: https://time.com/3917390/science-chauvinism-sexism-tim-hunt-resigns-university-college-london/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75794564e4159a29/6988540ba988cab31c6b2f88/gettyimages-141713645.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3300 og:image:height: 1856 og:image:alt: English biochemist, the Nobel-prize winn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Nobel Scientist Tim Hunt Resigns After Sexist Remarks twitter:description: The ex-University College London professor said his words were misconstrued twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75794564e4159a29/6988540ba988cab31c6b2f88/gettyimages-141713645.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Embattled Nobel Scientist Tim Hunt Resigns After Sexist Remarks > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=91d070d9-b737-4bea-b84d-a7ab8b8f19e5&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Feminism Comes to the Forefront of Swedish Politics [Watch (HLS stream): Feminism Comes to the Forefront of Swedish Politics](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IjgnFCKB.m3u8) (2:48)  _Published 2014-09-12. An inside look at one of the world's first feminist parties_ by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Jun 11, 2015 9:26 AM UTC  English biochemist, the Nobel-prize winner Sir Richard Timothy 'Tim' Hunt meets with the press at the Jozsef Attila Study and Information Centre of Szeged Sciences University in Szegede on March 22, 2012 English biochemist, the Nobel-prize winner Sir Richard Timothy 'Tim' Hunt meets with the press at the Jozsef Attila Study and Information Centre of Szeged Sciences University in Szegede on March 22, 2012 AFP/Getty Images by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Jun 11, 2015 9:26 AM UTC Tim Hunt, the Nobel-winning scientist who made headlines Wednesday for comments on the “trouble with girls” working in laboratories, [resigned from his position](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33090022) as honorary professor at University College London on Thursday, the BBC reports. Hunt, who told a room full of high-ranking scientists and science journalists at a global conference in South Korea that working with women was troublesome because “they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry,” won a Nobel in 2001 for his work in physiology and medicine. He told the BBC’s Radio 4 Wednesday that while he stood by his remarks, he was “really sorry that I said what I said” and noted it was “a very stupid thing to do in the presence of all those journalists”. On the BBC, Hunt explained that his comments were “intended as a light-hearted, ironic comment” and had been misconstrued. He also said that the aforementioned “trouble” had been drawn from his own experience. “I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it’s very disruptive to the science,” he said. “I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult.” His now former employer has been careful to distance itself from him. “UCL was the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms to men, and the university believes that this outcome is compatible with our commitment to gender equality,” the University said in a statement. \[[BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33090022)\] _Read next:_ [_Tennis Star Andy Murray Says He Has Become a Feminist_](http://time.com/3910521/andy-murray-feminist/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:04] I'm voting for feminists initiative because, [00:08] A society that isn't good for someone is never good for [00:10] anyone. It's about time. A new wave. An answer. [00:14] I believe in not only women right but also [00:19] all. Human begins write really. We have been working [00:23] with emancipation for so many years and it's [00:28] kind of stopped. [ FOREIGN ] [ APPLAUSE ]. I really [00:44] think that the reason why we have a lot of support in [00:47] Sweden right now is because we need change in the [00:50] way we think about politics in Sweden. We need a [00:53] vision that includes everybody. And I think that most of [00:56] the political parties have not been able to do this. A lot [00:59] of people are really, really tired that the government. [01:03] On the [ UNKNOWN ] that are not doing enough. When [01:06] it comes to gender equality or racial [01:14] equality. [ FOREIGN ] We have to have [01:19] better education system. << When it comes to [01:24] salaries, equal salaries equal pensions. When it comes [01:27] to how you should share the responsibility of [01:31] parenthood. << [01:36] [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ] They are really, really excited [01:42] and really happy. Because this is something [01:47] new. This is something [01:56] fresh that is happening right now. And all those young [02:01] people are, you know, involved in the moment. They [02:04] are all encouraged and have visions and are excited, [02:07] so it's really a lot of energy. We need to be more [02:11] people together in this movement to make a change. [02:15] And it's really, it's made me more confident. It's made [02:18] me realize that I, as someone that defines myself [02:22] as a woman. Is not less strong [02:26] than anyone else. We, we have the, possibility to, to, [02:30] show that's, that it is possible, [02:35] to, to get these ideas, going in the. 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