A white University of New Hampshire chemistry professor is accused of masquerading as an immigrant woman of color on a fake Twitter account to make racist and sexist comments.
The university said it is investigating the allegations against the professor, who has not been named. The professor is also accused of attacking users who supported racial justice and other progressive causes.
A university spokesperson said Friday that the person “is on leave and not in the classroom.”
Though the account was removed last week, several people who have reviewed it said it routinely posted racist, sexist and transphobic comments and images.
Students at the university protested last week over the Twitter account, which carried the name “the Science Femme, Woman in STEM,” and demanded the professor be fired, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.
In July, the person behind the anonymous account, created in January 2019, posted a message identifying themselves as “an immigrant woman of color who grew up in poverty, sleeping on a dirt floor.”
The professor accused of being behind the account is a white male from the Northeast, NHPR reported based on his online biography.
The account attracted over 13,000 followers, NHPR reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.