Nobel prize-winning scientist Sir Tim Hunt who was forced to resign over sexism allegations is leaving the UK for a new life in Japan.
The 72-year-old quit his honorary professorship at University College London earlier this year following a storm of criticism over comments he made about working with women.
At the time, Sir Tim said he had been “hung out to dry” and was forced to resign, despite an internal inquiry noting the self-deprecating tone in which he delivered the speech.
He is now set to move to Japan with his wife Mary Collins, who is leaving her own professorship at UCL to start a five-year job at a Japanese university.
Confirming the move, Professor Collins told the Daily Mail: “This is a job I applied for before the Tim Hunt incident and is a very positive career move for me.”
But a friend of the couple, from Potters Bar, Hertforshire, believes they would not be moving if it had not been for the row over Sir Tim’s comments.
The friend said: “It’s very sad, it’s quite clear it’s based on their exhaustion.
“They have been up and down, even quite recently. They have been emotionally affected by it. They have had a lot of criticism, he’s had invitations to talk at conferences withdrawn on the grounds he’s not a suitable person, or if he appeared it might produce a reaction, backlash or protest.”
Sir Tim, who won the Nobel Prize for breakthroughs in cancer research, was asked to resign from several academic posts after a talk in June in which he said: “Three things happen when [women] are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.”
He has always insisted it was meant a joke.
