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UNM Prof: 'Obese' Grad Applicants Lack 'Willpower'

A University of New Mexico psychology professor is under fire after he tweeted that people battling obesity don't have the willpower to finish doctorate degrees.

Geoffrey Miller wrote on Twitter Sunday that obese doctoral applicants who don't "have the will power to stop eating carbs" won't "have the willpower to do a dissertation." The tweet has since been deleted and his Twitter account has been made private.

UNM issued a statement Monday saying the tweet didn't reflect the university's admission standards. The school also said Miller told UNM's Department of Psychology that the message was part of a research project.

He later apologized on Twitter.

Miller is on leave from UNM while being a visiting professor at New York University. He didn't immediately respond to email requests for comment.