If you were to make a ranking of leading Dutch astronomers, Tim de Zeeuw would be in shared first place.
That is, until two weeks ago, when the university announced it had suspended a professor, whose name would not be disclosed, due to ‘extremely unacceptable behaviour’, including abuse of power, gender discrimination, public humiliation and unwanted physical contact. A week later, word came out that De Zeeuw was the professor in question.

The astronomer sharing first place with De Zeeuw is professor and Spinoza Prize winner Ewine van Dishoeck, who is also his spouse. The two of them obtained their doctorates on the same day and, in collaboration with the university, they set up the Van Dishoeck-De Zeeuw Fund for young talent in science.

De Zeeuw’s research focuses on the formation and structure of galaxies. After working in the United States for a few years, he returned to the Netherlands in 1991, where he was given a permanent appointment as professor of theoretical astronomy in Leiden.

In addition to his research, he increasingly took on administrative tasks over the years. For instance, he became scientific director of the Leiden Observatory and the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy NOVA. In 2007, De Zeeuw was appointed director of the European Southern Observatory, a consortium of 16 countries that collectively operate a series of telescopes; ‘the best astronomy job in the world’, in his own words.

EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPE

De Zeeuw’s role at ESO is more that of a manager than a scientist. As he told Mare in 2007: ‘A small amount of time is allocated for research, and of course, I won’t just leave my Leiden PhD candidates to fend for themselves. But my work will mainly consist of realising the observational facilities that will allow astronomers to do scientific research.’

As director, he is at the cradle of the Extremely Large Telescope, the world’s largest optical telescope which is currently still under construction in Chile. Upon his departure, he was interviewed by the university. In the interview, he urges others to get involved in international organisations too: ‘Don’t just focus on competition, but do something for the broader astronomy community as well. It may not directly benefit your own research, but it’s a way of giving something back to your community.’

For the moment, De Zeeuw is still officially a professor. He is no longer allowed to enter university buildings, use research facilities or contact colleagues. However, he does keep his title and salary and is still listed on the website. Later this year, he will have to retire on account of his age.

DISTANCE

After his name was made public in the media, institutes to which De Zeeuw was affiliated publicly distanced themselves from him. For instance, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics claims not to have received any indications of misconduct itself, but trusts Leiden’s investigation. Therefore, the institute is severing all ties with immediate effect.

The European Southern Observatory, where De Zeeuw has not had a formal appointment since 2017, has also banned him from all buildings. ‘ESO is strongly against all forms of harassment, bullying and other unacceptable behaviour’, the institute states on its website.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, which De Zeeuw had been a member of since 2006, suspended the astronomer. In response, the professor terminated his membership of the Academy. The Dutch Research Council, a science funding agency, has tacitly removed him from its advisory council.

De Zeeuw refused to respond to Mare’s questions. He did, however, submit a statement to Science and de Volkskrant via his lawyer. In it, he says he disagrees with the university’s findings, but confirms that he has been ‘unpleasant and impatient in an old-fashioned way, which no longer fits in the current spirit of the times.’ He also says it has ‘never been my intention to hurt or harm people. I am very sorry that people have experienced my behaviour as negative.’