Tim Hunt says he is the victim of a 'rush to judgment' after his sexist comments

Days after making sexist comments about female scientists, British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt has claimed he's fallen victim to a "rush to judgment".

The biochemist told a conference in Seoul, South Korea, last week that he was a "chauvinist" and believed that men and women should work in segregated labs.

Let me tell you about my trouble with girls… three things happen when they are in the lab… You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.

• Sir Tim Hunt

He subsequently left his position as an honorary professor at UCL, with the university saying his comments were not "compatible with our commitment to gender equality".

However, in an interview with the Observer on Sunday, Hunt said his comments were supposed to be "ironic and jocular" and that the university had rushed to judgment.

At no point did they ask me for an explanation for what I said or to put it in context. They just said I had to go. There has been an enormous rush to judgment in dealing with me.

• Sir Tim Hunt

The scientist, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 2001, has since resigned from several other positions, including from the European Research Council’s science committee, according to the paper.

After releasing a more detailed apology on Saturday, Hunt told the Observer: "I have become toxic. I am finished."

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