Campus & Community

At the heart of the Science and Engineering Complex, a library named for a trailblazing alumna

At the dedication of the Susan Wojcicki Library, family members read the inscription: “From phones to cars to medicine, technology touches every part of our lives. If you can create technology, you can change the world.” Photos by Russ Campbell

April 30, 2026

4 min read

Gift from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation honors the late technology executive Susan Wojcicki

To honor the legacy of the late Susan Wojcicki ’90, a trailblazing technology leader and former CEO of YouTube, Harvard dedicated the Susan Wojcicki Library at the Science and Engineering Complex earlier this spring. The event brought together President Alan Garber, other University leaders, faculty, students, and the Troper Wojcicki family.

Named in her memory through a $20 million gift from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation, the library’s location — at the heart of the complex — is designed as a space to foster cross-disciplinary exchange and collaboration. The gift also provides flexible discretionary funding to the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to support early-stage faculty research, graduate students, and investments in computing and laboratory resources, fueling work in areas such as artificial intelligence; climate, energy, and sustainability; and engineering solutions that improve human health.

At the dedication, Garber reflected on Wojcicki’s ties to Harvard and the significance of the Troper Wojcicki Foundation’s gift.

President Alan Garber.

Dennis Troper.

“I can’t imagine a more fitting expression of [Susan’s] connection to the University and her commitment to changing and improving lives and making a difference in the world,” he said.

This gift builds on Wojcicki and her husband, Dennis Troper’s, legacy of philanthropic support across Harvard, which includes seed grant funding for the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, fellowships through the Harvard Data Science Initiative, and graduate fellowships in computer science at SEAS.

He noted that the Troper Wojcicki Foundation’s support will help students and faculty at the complex and across SEAS address some of the greatest challenges facing society today. “We are so deeply grateful to you, Dennis, and to the entire Troper Wojcicki family,” Garber said.

“Here, Susan’s legacy will be visible to future generations of students who will use this space to solve problems, collaborate, and develop the skills they need to become the next generation of leaders in science and technology,” said dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences David Parkes. “I want to thank Dennis and the Troper Wojcicki family very much for their transformational support of the work we do and the community we foster here at [SEAS].”

President Alan Garber (center) and Dean David Parkes (far left) with members of the Troper Wojcicki family.

University Librarian Martha Whitehead underscored the importance of this legacy. “The Susan Wojcicki Library, like Susan herself, is a connector,” said Whitehead. “Situated in the middle of the SEAS community, it serves as a doorway into the world’s largest academic library and collections that will spark new ideas and fuel innovation.”

Wojcicki graduated from Harvard College with a concentration in history and literature, but her time at Harvard was marked by a curiosity that extended beyond any single field. She worked in Widener Library as an undergraduate and, as a senior, enrolled in “Introduction to Computer Science” — the only humanities concentrator in the class. Her instinct to cross disciplinary lines would define both her career and her vision for what technology could make possible. At Google and YouTube, she rose to become one of the industry’s most influential leaders, guided by a conviction that great ideas emerge at the intersection of different ways of thinking. She was also known for recognizing the promise of new ideas and creating pathways for opportunity.

Wojcicki remained closely connected to the University throughout her life, serving on the Global Advisory Council, the Committee on University Resources, and the University Task Force on Science and Engineering. Her service reflected a longstanding commitment to bringing people together across areas of expertise and expanding opportunity for the next generation.

In his remarks, Troper shared his reflections on Wojcicki, their life together, and why the library is such a fitting place to bear her name.

“It is so moving that this space is now the Susan Wojcicki Library. May this library be a sanctuary for the bold, a lab for the curious, and serve as a reminder to every student here that no matter what your major is, you have the power to change the world.”