A diminutive, snow-covered moon of Saturn called Enceladus has taken first place among candidates for hosting life in our solar system, according to a joint Harvard-NASA study.  Led by Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Jonah Peter, the Nature Astronomy study reports strong confirmation of hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous gas that’s also a…

Caroline Jean Fernald has been named executive director of Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, Hopi Hoekstra, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced today. Fernald will begin her position on Jan. 3. “Through the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, the extraordinary collections of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences…

Even as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war have approached the boiling point on campuses across the United States, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative has hosted a series of reasoned, respectful, evidence-based discussions exploring the roots of the conflict and its vexing policy dilemmas. These conversations with analysts from within Harvard and beyond have…

Concluding a two-year investigation, researchers at Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab have issued a stark diagnosis of the “collapsing state capacity” in South Africa after decades of policy failures, mismanagement, and patronage, with painful consequences for millions of poor, jobless people. The research team offers a set of concrete recommendations that could help the country turn around. They…

A steady stream of students from Harvard Schools met with representatives from The World Bank, Ceres, NRDC, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Green Corps, and dozens of other employers in climate and sustainability during the Harvard-wide Climate Career Expo. Hosted by the Salata Institute, FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, Harvard’s Schools, the Dec.…

The Harvard Art Museums have acquired an important gift of “Medals for Dishonor,” a critical early work by preeminent 20th-century sculptor David Smith (American, 1906–1965). The gift from the artist’s estate comprises 14 cast bronze narrative reliefs from a profoundly political and satirical series that addresses anti-war and anti-fascist themes. The 15th medal in the…

The convergence of semiconductor technology and drug discovery holds great promise in the pursuit for new medications and therapies. But drug discovery is notorious for being lengthy, inefficient, costly, and difficult. A startup spun-out of Harvard labs is working to change that. CytoTronics, Inc., a pioneer of semiconductor-based platforms for cell biology research, developed a…

Bonnie Talbert and David Elmer have been named the new faculty deans of Eliot House, Danoff Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana announced today. They will start their roles July 1.   Talbert is the interim director of the Harvard College Women’s Center. Elmer is the Eliot Professor of Greek Literature and chair of the…

Obatala Sciences, a biotechnology company that manufactures stem cells and human-derived hydrogels, announced the accomplishment of a major milestone with the commercial launch of its ObaCell Obesity-on-a-Chip Service. The new service reflects the commercial development of a family of patents that Obatala licensed from Harvard University in 2021. Obatala Sciences is one of several companies that…

Coinciding with United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute recently released a new policy brief, “Climate Change in South Asia: Requisites for a Sustainable Future.” The brief argues that scientifically sound, community-centered, multisectoral approaches that account for long timescales are essential for preparing and protecting the…

Evidence from a new study suggests that Black women in teams with a greater number of white peers may have worse job outcomes. This finding may offer a starting point for improving retention and diversity in elite firms. Elizabeth Linos, the Emma Bloomberg Associate Professor for Public Policy and Management, and colleagues Sanaz Mobasseri from Boston University…

Harvard’s Growth Lab has released a new report on Lebanon’s struggling economy that revisits the origins of the crisis and proposes a comprehensive plan for a swift economic recovery. The research project, led by Professors Ricardo Hausmann, Ugo Panizza, and Carmen Reinhart, provides a clear diagnostic of the ongoing crisis and suggests novel, out-of-the-box solutions. The research highlights…

The  Center for International Development  at Harvard University, in collaboration with Harvard Radcliffe Institute , and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, announced the 2023 Global Empowerment Meeting  Incubation Fund recipients, advancing innovative climate change research for developing economies on the frontlines of the crisis. The GEM Incubation Fund supports research to find solutions to pressing development…

Drummer, composer, producer, educator, and activist Terri Lyne Carrington was honored with the Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award by the Office for the Arts at Harvard and the Department of Music.  Carrington, the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, has educated both Berklee and Harvard students by way of…

Harvard celebrated  First-Generation Visibility Week, Nov. 3-9. Launched last year, the week included a series of events aimed to empower, celebrate, and validate the identities of first-generation students at the University. FGVW week, which is sponsored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations  and the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, is…

When autistic children transition into early adulthood, they lose access to many of the services and benefits provided by pediatric practices. From the age of 18 onward, these individuals and their families must navigate a healthcare system that is not fully prepared to serve their unique needs — and even less equipped to address the…

Gabby DelPico ’24 was honored at the 2023 Athlete Ally Action Awards in New York City for her foundational work at Harvard’s Athlete Ally chapter, which was recognized for its excellence and for being an example to other chapters around the country. For the Harvard women’s soccer student-athlete, the award was a moment to reflect…

The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University announced today the formation of its scientific advisory board (SAB), composed of visionaries in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational biology. The six members of the new board will meet with Kempner leadership, including Co-directors Bernardo Sabatini and…

Ashvin Vishwanath, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics, has received the 2024 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize from the American Physical Society. He is being recognized for groundbreaking theoretical studies “on the collective electronic properties of materials that reflect topological aspects of their band structure.” Vishwanath, who joined the Harvard faculty in…

Joseph Henrich, the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology, has been awarded the 2023 Panmure House Prize “for his research on how collective thinking drives cultural innovation.” The annual prize recognizes research into long-termism and its relationship with innovation. Its name refers to Scottish economist Adam Smith, whose final remaining home, Panmure House, is now…

Carlos Argüelles-Delgado, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, is among the 2023 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering, announced by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation this week. Exploring “new frontiers of study,” Packard Fellows receive $875,000 over five years in unrestricted funds to pursue “blue-sky” research goals. Argüelles-Delgado is on a quest to…

The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard has purchased 384 H100-80 GB Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs). These GPUs will be added to the Kempner’s state-of-the-art computational cluster to support research in natural and artificial intelligence. With this addition, the Kempner’s cluster is positioned to be one of the…

Harvard will create a Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture with a gift from the Gracias Family Foundation, the University announced today. The study, an interdisciplinary effort across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Divinity School, seeks to transform the psychedelics research landscape by producing cutting-edge scholarship and convening…

Harvard University has entered into a collaboration with Novo Nordisk and Evotec SE, to establish LAB eN², a translational drug discovery accelerator that aims to nurture preclinical research from academic institutions for the development of novel therapeutics. The focus is on addressing unmet needs in cardiometabolic diseases as well as rare blood and endocrine disorders. LAB eN² is…

The term surveillance may suggest images of high-tech cameras or George Orwell’s ever-watching Big Brother, but surveillance involves more than watching and being watched. To understand surveillance and its consequences, look to data: who collects it, what information is compiled, how it is interpreted, and ultimately, why it matters. The new exhibition, “Surveillance: From Vision…

On any given week throughout the year, Harvard is home to a variety of lectures and seminars on topics of global importance, from addressing climate change to preserving democracy to supporting public health. Our museums and cultural organizations host programs and exhibits that help us broaden our understanding of the world’s cultures and one another.…