Faculty News
Harvard Kennedy School Dean Outlines Faculty Hiring Initiatives, Discusses Directorship Openings
Seven months after Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf announced the school was recruiting two senior professors studying climate change and sustainability, HKS is still trying to bring them to Cambridge.
Pfarewell Pforzheimer: Faculty Deans Harrington and Durant to Step Down in 2023 After 10-Year Tenure
Pforzheimer House Faculty Deans Anne Harrington ’82 and John R. Durant will step down at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year after a 10-year tenure, the pair announced in an email to house residents Monday.
Harvard FAS Releases Schedule for Previous-Term Course Registration
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences set a timeline for the school’s full transition from shopping week into previous-term registration for the spring 2024 semester, FAS Registrar Erika McDonald announced Tuesday.
Three Harvard Scholars Named University Professors, Highest Faculty Distinction
Harvard scholars Catherine Dulac, Robert J. Sampson, and Arlene H. Sharpe ’75 will become University Professors, Harvard’s highest faculty distinction, next year.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Remembered as ‘Laser Smart’ and Devoted Public Servant
A lifelong academic and public servant who would go on to serve as the 25th Defense secretary under President Barack Obama, Ashton B. Carter died on Oct. 24 in Boston after suffering a heart attack. He was 68.
Following Harvard Report on ‘Unsustainable’ Faculty Workload, FAS Dean Gay Solicits Professors’ Feedback
After a report found that Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences faces an “increasing and unsustainable” amount of non-research work, the school is holding discussions to collect feedback on the report’s recommendations.
Harvard Math Professor Melanie Matchett Wood Wins ‘Genius Grant’
Harvard Mathematics professor Melanie Matchett Wood was named one of 25 recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship for her work in “addressing the foundational questions in number theory from the perspective of arithmetic statistics.”
Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof ’93 Joins Harvard as Third Professor in Ethnic Studies Cluster Hire
Jesse E. Hoffnung-Garskof ’93 will join Harvard’s faculty as the third professor to be brought in as part of an ethnic studies cluster hire initiative by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, according to the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, which has advocated for the creation of an ethnic studies department.
More than Three-Quarters of Surveyed Faculty Report Satisfaction with Harvard’s Handling of Covid-19
More than 77 percent of respondents to The Crimson’s annual survey of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences said they were either extremely or somewhat satisfied with Harvard’s overall handling of Covid-19.
Gay ‘Thrilled’ to Invite First Ethnic Studies Faculty, Expand Programs
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said in an interview Wednesday she is “thrilled” to invite Taeku Lee to the FAS and looks forward to the expansion of ethnic studies.
Harvard-led Research Team Receives Department of Defense Award
The Department of Defense awarded its Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative prize to a team of researchers led by Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences professor Katia Bertoldi for the team’s work studying origami structures.
Harvard Faculty Overwhelmingly Approve Proposal to Allow Double Concentrations
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal that will allow undergraduate students to pursue double concentrations at its monthly meeting on Tuesday.
Harvard Affiliates Call on Universities to Bar Fossil Fuel Industry Funding from Research
Harvard affiliates signed a letter released in March demanding that British and American universities stop accepting funding from fossil fuel corporations for climate change and energy research.
Journals Retract Eight Studies Co-Authored by Former Harvard Medical School Professor
Eight published articles — including two full studies and six abstracts — co-authored by a former Harvard Medical School professor, Jorge G. Arroyo, have been retracted in recent months by the medical journals that published them.
Professor of Chemical Biology Explores Quantum Topological Materials
Harvard Assistant Professor of Chemical Biology Suyang Xu is working towards expanding the application of topological materials — new materials in the quantum field with the potential to significantly improve our ways of saving information.
Kennedy School Co-Hosts Gender Equity Research Panel on Transgender Day of Visibility
Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program and the University’s Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging hosted a panel of researchers in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday.
Danielle Allen, Set to Return to Harvard, Debriefs Her Run for Governor
Following her recent campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, Harvard Government professor Danielle S. Allen is set to return to as director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics for the 2022-2023 academic year.
One Year After an External Review into Sexual Harassment at Harvard, Three Recommendations Remain Unfulfilled
Just over a year after the release of an external review examining gender-based harassment at Harvard, the school has not fulfilled three of the report's recommendations.
Justice Department to End China Initiative, which Brought Down Lieber
The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday shuttered its controversial China Initiative, an anti-espionage crackdown that ensnared a top Harvard faculty member last year.
15 Harvard Anthropology Professors Call on Comaroff to Resign Over Sexual Harassment Allegations
More than three-quarters of Harvard’s tenured Anthropology faculty asked professor John L. Comaroff to resign over sexual harassment allegations on Sunday.
At Anita Hill Book Talk, Former Harvard College Dean Says She Regrets Signing Comaroff Letter
Former Harvard College Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds said at an event Thursday she regrets initially signing onto a letter that questioned the results of misconduct investigations into professor John L. Comaroff, who is accused of sexual harassment.
Harvard is Embroiled in Another Sexual Misconduct Controversy. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Harvard is reeling this week in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against a powerful professor and sweeping claims about the failures of its Title IX processes. Here's what you need to know.
FAS ‘Actively Recruiting’ Four Ethnic Studies Scholars, Gay Says
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has identified four ethnic studies scholars and is in the process of “actively recruiting” them to come to Harvard, FAS Dean Claudine Gay said in a Tuesday interview.
Some Harvard Classes Start Spring Semester Online Due to Omicron Surge
Some Harvard professors will hold classes online during the first week of the spring semester, citing Covid-19 concerns.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2021
At Harvard, 2021 was a year marked by change. The school’s long-awaited return to in-person operations injected new life into a campus that had been left dormant for over a year by Covid-19. And in an unexpected shift, the University announced its intention to divest its endowment from fossil fuels after a decade of public pressure. Separately, faculty controversies — including a federal conviction and a high-profile departure — ignited debates that rippled across academia. Below, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped the last year at Harvard.