Lawrence Krauss Of Arizona State On Leave After Misconduct Charge

TEMPE, AZ – Prominent Arizona State University professor Lawrence Krauss has been placed on leave while the school probes sexual misconduct allegations against him. Krauss is not allowed on campus while the investigation is ongoing.

Krauss, a noted atheist and founder of the Origins Project at the school, also announced that he is stepping down as chairman of the board of sponsors for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Arizona State – where he is a tenured professor – is the third school to restrict Krauss's access to the campus after Buzzfeed reported allegations against him that it says "is based on official university documents, emails, and interviews with more than 50 people."

The other two schools are Case Western University and the Permiter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Buzzfeed quoted Krauss saying the allegations are untrue and are simply the result of his celebrity.

"It is common knowledge that celebrity attracts all forms of negative attention from many different angles," Krauss emailed Buzzfeed.

Arizona State said they started their probe after they were contacted by Buzzfeed.

Photo via Arizona State University.