Citing 'Cancel Culture,' UC Berkeley Scientist Calls It Quits

BERKELEY, CA — A renowned UC Berkeley scientist is calling it quits, and David Romps isn’t leaving quietly.

The ex-Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center (BASC) director on Monday called out his former colleagues for infusing politics into the scientific arena in his announcement that he was stepping down.

Romps cited his department’s refusal to consider inviting a geophysics expert who waded into political controversy to speak at the Berkeley campus.

Romps had sought an invitation for Dorian Abbot after the Massachusetts Institute for Technology “cancelled” a guest lecture appearance by the University of Chicago associate professor, citing his opposition to affirmative action.

Romps announced his resignation on Twitter, noting that he issued his statement on the social media platform to “reduce the odds of being mischaracterized.”

“I asked the BASC faculty if we might invite that scientist to speak to us in the coming months to hear the science talk he had prepared and, by extending the invitation now, reaffirm that BASC is a purely scientific organization, not a political one,” Romps tweeted.

Romps believes that Abbot’s critical work would be of value to the BASC, noting its stated goal is to be "the hub for UC Berkeley's research on the science of the atmosphere, its interactions with Earth systems, and the future of Earth's climate."

Abbot “does excellent work in areas of interest to BASC,” Romps said, noting that he accepted an invitation to speak before the center in 2014.

MIT’s decision to “cancel” Abbot, and Romps’ resignation, have made national and international headlines in The New York Times, The New York Post and The Daily Mail, among other outlets.

“I believe that mission has its greatest chance of success when the tent is made as big as possible, including with respect to ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, family status, and political ideas,” Romps tweeted.

“Excluding people because of their political and social views diminishes the pool of scientists with which members of BASC can interact and reduces the opportunities for learning and collaboration.

“More broadly, such exclusion signals that some opinions -- even well-intentioned ones -- are forbidden, thereby increasing self-censorship, degrading public discourse, and contributing to our nation's political balkanization.”