Mady Corrigan, a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, used to spend most of her time on research.

Now, she spends a significant part of it fixing equipment.

Since SEAS Dean David C. Parkes announced plans last October to lay off roughly 25 percent of the school’s clerical and technical union workers — along with other staff, totaling about 40 positions — Corrigan’s lab has lost both its research technician and its lab manager.

The two left in anticipation of either termination or expanded responsibilities without additional compensation. A new manager has since been hired, but that employee now covers the equivalent of two roles, leaving less time for day-to-day upkeep.

“My co-workers and I will end up having to spend an entire afternoon that we were going to be doing research trying to fix a laser cutter, trying to chase down all the people involved so that we can keep everything running,” Corrigan said. “In the past, this was done by a paid staff member.”

The layoffs followed a convergence of financial pressures on Harvard: a sharp increase in the federal tax on the University’s endowment, upended federal research funding, and what Parkes described in an October email as a budgetary gap the school could not close through other cost-cutting measures alone.

In the months since the cuts took effect, the consequences have rippled beyond the school’s budget. In interviews, around a dozen students and staff members described a school grappling with diminished support and growing gaps in the day-to-day operations that keep labs running, courses staffed, and students advised.

A SEAS spokesperson declined to comment on this story.

For some students, the layoffs have forced abrupt changes to their academic plans.

Leo M. Bessler ’26 had planned to fiberglass a surface for his senior thesis in Mechanical Engineering using SEAS’ Active Learning Labs. But the staff member trained in the necessary safety procedures had been laid off, leaving him unable to move forward.

“Instead of fiberglassing and sanding it, I just used this special type of tape that I bought online,” Bessler said. “I just had to pivot my project, and the staff — my advisor and all those people who are running the senior Mech E thesis — they’re very understanding, especially when it comes to constraints that were a result of the layoffs.”

Grant M. Kaufmann ’28, another Mechanical Engineering concentrator, said administrators have worked to preserve courses, but funding reductions have altered how some operate. In one engineering course, “ENG-SCI 100: Engineering Design Projects,” students are now required to pair up on projects that could once be completed individually, a shift Kaufmann said appeared to be tied to tighter budgeting.

“Rather than now having the option to do it on your own, you have to pair up with somebody, because, I think, in large, budgeting issues,” Kaufmann said.

SEAS professor Katia Bertoldi, the course’s head instructor, wrote in a statement that the change was due to increased enrollment rather than the layoffs.

In at least one case, a course disappeared entirely. Chris J. Lombardo, who served as associate director of undergraduate studies at SEAS and taught “ENG-SCI 105HFR: Humanitarian Design Projects,” was laid off in the fall. The course allowed students to earn academic credit for their work with Harvard Engineers Without Borders, a chapter of a national student group that carries out engineering projects in underserved communities. It could count toward the junior design requirement or as an approved engineering elective.

Enrolled students learned via email that the course would not be offered in the spring due to “staffing changes in SEAS,” and were directed to pursue supervised research or other electives instead.

AJ C. Bynum ’28, who took the course in the fall, called its elimination a loss both for him and the club.

“What that took away from us is the organizational aspects that the course provided,” he said. “It was, one, just very unfortunate to lose such a great mind like him,” he added, referring to Lombardo, “and then in addition to that, lose what made the program so effective, which was the class.”

Other student organizations have also felt the squeeze. Leaders of the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club said the group nearly lost access to the SEAS machine shop after administrators signaled they would prioritize the space for coursework. Kaufmann, the club’s vice president, described the prospect as “a death sentence for the club.” After club leaders appealed directly to Parkes, HURC retained its access.

Reduced staffing has slowed equipment repairs in the Active Learning Labs. Bynum pointed to 3D printers and other tools sitting idle.

“There’s clear repercussions of the funding cuts,” Bynum said. “Just the sheer amount of money that’s been lost. And we can see that through, one, less of a budget for fixing things like 3D printers or other kinds of equipment.”

Konstantinos Maliaris ’26, an Electrical Engineering concentrator, said he emailed a staff member for help with a power electronics project in October — only to learn later that the employee had been laid off the day after receiving his message.

“I was able to get support from a different person, but I think that the expertise from the person that was laid off might have been more appropriate for the specific needs of my projects. I guess I will never know,” Maliaris said.

Students said the layoffs have also reshaped the culture of academic departments housed within SEAS.

Brian Yoon, the assistant director of undergraduate studies for Environmental Science and Engineering, was laid off in October. Sophie-An Kingsbury Lee ’26, an ESE and Earth and Planetary Sciences joint concentrator, said Yoon had previously handled logistics for student events — and that without him, students have been unsure how to access funding for organizational gatherings.

Since Yoon’s departure, Kingsbury Lee said the informal community that once held the small concentration together has begun to thin out.

“We used to have social events where we used to come together. I would say now, I don’t know any people who are first years who are thinking about concentrating, whereas normally by this time of year, I would know at least 10 or 12.”

Jerry Li ’26, an Electrical Engineering concentrator, said he was frustrated by what he saw as the cuts’ disproportionate impact on the student experience — while much of the administrative apparatus appeared to remain intact.

“While I appreciate our administrative staff, I can’t help but notice that administratively, there were not many cuts,” Li said.

“Students are becoming more and more interested in electrical engineering, and many of them who are initially very interested, or would be interested, see what’s happening in the department, the lack of regard we are given by the people who make the decisions,” he added. “They are turned away, and they choose other things. It’s really unfortunate.”

—Staff writer Sidhi Dhanda can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at sdhanda.05. Follow her on X @sidhidhanda.

—Staff writer Stephanie Dragoi can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at sd3.28.