A leading scholar of environmental ethics who explored issues at the intersection of science, ethics and biotechnology, and who warned of the perils of private companies underwriting and influencing academic research, died on April 23 in Cambridge, Mass. He passed away at the age of 80.
His family said that he was in the hospital for tests when he died, and that they did not know what happened.
The increasing conflicts of interest that universities faced as their academic researchers accepted millions of dollars in grants from corporate entities was warned in a comprehensive way by Dr. Krimsky.
In his book, he argued that the lure of profits was potentially corrupting research and could undermine the integrity and independence of universities.
His public policy work went far beyond the commercialization of science. He was the author, co-author or editor of 17 books and more than 200 journal articles, and he sought to find potential problems in stem-cell research, genetic modification of food and DNA privacy.
Jonathan Garlick, a stem-cell researcher and friend of Dr. Krimsky, said in a phone interview that he was the "Ralph Nader of bioethics."
If we didn't pay attention to the check points, there might be irreversible harm that could persist across many generations.
Dr. Krimsky wrote that government agencies had created large DNA databases that posed a threat to civil liberties, and that DNA evidence is not always reliable. He criticized the agriculture and food industries for changing the genetic makeup of foods.
In his last book, published in 2021, he explained the ancestry of research and said that results from different genetic ancestry testing companies could vary in their conclusions. Stem-cell meat, made from animal cells that can be grown in a lab, was starting to be explored by him.
The author of the introduction to some of his books was Mr. Nader.
There was no one like him, Mr. Nader said in an email. He said that science must always leave open options for revision.
On June 26, 1941, he was born in Brooklyn. Alex was a house painter. His mother was a garment worker.
At Brooklyn College, where he majored in physics and math, he graduated in 1963. He received a master's degree in physics from Purdue University. He earned a masters degree in philosophy and a doctorate in philosophy of science at Boston University.
Carolyn Boriss was an artist and teacher and later became a playwright and author. They were married in 1970.
She has a daughter, a son, a grandson, and a brother.
The Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning was started in 1974 by Dr. Krimsky and has grown over the years. He was a visiting scholar at New York University, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and the New School.
In the late 1970s, he led a team of students on an investigation into whether the chemical company W.R. Grace had contaminated drinking wells.
One of the company's top executives asked the president of Tufts to bury the study and fire Dr. Krimsky after learning that the wells were designated a Superfund site. The president said no. The company's attempt to interfere prompted Dr. Krimsky to begin studying how corporations try to manipulate science.
Dr. Garlick said that he spoke truth to power.
Dr. Krinsky believed in organized skepticism.
He told The Boston Globe that when claims are made, they have to start with skepticism.
From 1988 to 1992 he headed the committee on scientific freedom and responsibility for the American Association for the advancement of science. He served on the editorial boards of seven scientific journals, as well as being a fellow of the Hastings Center on Bioethics.
He liked to play the guitar and harmonica when he wasn't working. He lived in Cambridge and New York City.
According to an obituary, a professor in the department said thatShelly never gave up hope of a better world.
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