The CEO of the SENS Research Foundation left his job and seat on the organization’s board in July amid an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the anti-aging nonprofit’s high-profile co-founder, Aubrey de Grey, STAT has learned. The departure of chief executive Jim O’Neill is, in part, what prompted two female entrepreneurs to go public this week with their charges, out of fear the foundation’s investigation would be compromised, they told STAT in interviews.
On Tuesday, Laura Deming, the founder of Longevity Fund, and Celine Halioua, CEO of Loyal, published a pair of blog posts accusing de Grey of making inappropriate remarks to them early in their careers, when he was serving as their mentor. Deming was just 17 years old at the time. The women also alleged that SENS had known about their experiences since June and looked the other way while de Grey helped the organization raise more than $20 million through a donation drive last month, during a time when, SENS has said, he’d been placed on leave as chief science officer pending the outcome of the investigation.
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