London

Gupta: waited eight months for apology. Credit: CLIVE POSTLETHWAITE

Sunetra Gupta, the University of Oxford epidemiologist wrongly accused of having won support for a readership post through a relationship with her head of department (see Nature 403 , 353; 2000), has received a retraction and an apology from Roy Anderson, the chair of the appointment committee.

Anderson wrote to Gupta last week unreservedly withdrawing an allegation for which he said there was “no foundation in truth whatsoever and which I accept I never should have made”. It has taken Gupta eight months to get the retraction, during which time, she says, she received little support from the university, which she felt had tried to brush the situation under the carpet.

Gupta says that Anderson's comments about her were “totally unacceptable and could not be allowed”. She rejects as “highly offensive” criticism from some members of the department of zoology who say she was manipulated into complaining.

The university has already upheld complaints that Anderson had intimidated members of Gupta's appointment committee. His behaviour also led to complaints about his management of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (see Nature 403, 695; 2000), and ultimately his resignation from the centre, from Oxford University and as governor of the Wellcome Trust.

In his letter to Gupta, Anderson says he was under “a great deal of personal stress at the time”. Anderson has also agreed to pay Gupta's legal costs and to make a donation to charity.