CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Following the resignation of Claudine Gay amidst accusations of plagiarism, another prominent figure, Neri Oxman, now faces allegations of her own. Oxman, who is the wife of billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, has been accused of copying passages from other scholars’ work without proper attribution in her 2010 dissertation.
Oxman, a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has issued an apology after Business Insider identified multiple instances of plagiarism in her dissertation. The outlet initially flagged four passages that were lifted from Wikipedia entries without attribution, but later discovered at least 15 such instances. This turn of events mirrors the situation that led to Gay’s ousting from the presidency at Harvard University.
In addition to her dissertation, Business Insider also found instances of plagiarism in research papers written by Oxman. One paper from 2011 reportedly contained over 100 words from a book, two verbatim sentences from another book, and material from a 2004 paper, all without proper citations or attributions.
While Ackman had publicly criticized Gay, who is African American, and called for her resignation over plagiarism allegations, he has struck a different tone in response to the accusations against his wife. Ackman’s campaign against Harvard has been attributed to his resentment over the lack of influence he gained despite years’ worth of donations to the university.
Conservatives have rallied behind Ackman’s complaints about Harvard, using them to support their own criticisms of the institution.
It is worth noting that Oxman came under fire in the past for accepting a $125,000 gift from the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker and disgraced financier. Oxman responded to the donation by sending an art gift to Epstein.
Oxman, who left MIT in 2020 and currently runs her own company, has pledged to review her primary sources and request the necessary corrections to address the allegations of plagiarism.
In conclusion, Neri Oxman, the wife of billionaire Bill Ackman, is facing allegations of plagiarism in her 2010 dissertation and other research papers. The accusations come after Claudine Gay’s resignation as Harvard president due to similar allegations. Oxman has apologized and promised to review her sources and make the necessary corrections.