The union representing graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, has filed a grievance with the university over allegations that associate professor Kwabena Bediako sexually harassed a graduate student in his lab. Berkeley is investigating Bediako, an inorganic chemist, under its Title IX process, according to a student who spoke to C&EN under condition of anonymity.
In an open letter to the university that hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students at Berkeley signed earlier this year, a graduate student who was formerly in Bediako’s lab describes a pattern of “unsolicited, persistent, and overly familiar communication.” The letter was first reported in campus newspaper the Daily Californian.
The student, who declined to comment for this article, writes in the letter that beginning in the spring of 2025, Bediako sent her details about his marriage, called her late at night, and pushed for a more personal relationship even after she asked him to maintain professional boundaries. She also alleges that Bediako pressured her for time alone together and followed her to her hotel room during a conference they both attended.
“The destructive effect that this has had on my progress in my PhD, sense of safety on campus, and emotional wellbeing has been profound and irreparable,” the student writes.
A second woman, whose undergraduate research Bediako supervised in Daniel G. Nocera’s lab at Harvard University, says Bediako harassed her beginning in 2013. She writes that Nocera, who managed them both, failed to convey her concerns to Harvard’s Title IX office.
Through a lawyer, Nocera disputes this claim, writing, “I take seriously my professional and ethical responsibilities and have never — and would never — callously dismiss allegations of sexual assault or harassment.”
C&EN reached out to Bediako for comment and received an email in response from his lawyer, Mark Allen of law firm Hathaway Parker. In that email, Allen writes, “We are aware of the allegations in the letter that has been circulated–and they are just that: allegations. Due to university policies and federal laws, we have no further comment about these allegations, except that we’re going to fully cooperate with any investigation, and we’d ask that the public allow any process to run its course without rushing to judgment.”
The details and timeline of such a process are unclear. Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore writes in an email to C&EN that the campus “cannot comment on specific cases regarding sexual misconduct (including whether a case does or does not exist),” except for concluded cases that result in disciplinary action. She adds that the university is “committed to fostering a climate where all members of our community are protected from sexual harassment.”
The union grievance—a separate process from the Title IX complaint—is ongoing, according to Ruby Kharod, a graduate student speaking for the organization, UAW Local 4811. “Academic workers formed our union in large part because sexual harassment and discrimination are so rampant in academia,” Kharod says in an email to C&EN. “Academic workers need strong protections and the support of our coworkers in our corner.”
Kharod and other members of the union drafted the January open letter to Berkeley’s administration, according to the Daily Californian. In the letter, petitioners asked Berkeley administrators to block Bediako from hiring new trainees without first informing them of the allegations against him. They also asked that faculty receive antiharassment training and that two honorific lectures featuring Nocera be canceled. The lectures, originally planned for Feb. 13 and 20, were postponed, according to the Chemistry Department’s website.
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