Harvard Kennedy School Professor Emeritus Lewis Branscomb, ‘A Giant Among Giants,’ Dies at 96
Harvard Kennedy School emeritus professor Lewis M. Branscomb was known for his contributions to the use of science in public policy and his advancement of understanding how technology impacts society. He died on May 31 at age 96 in Redwood City, California.
Harvard Kennedy School emeritus professor Lewis M. Branscomb was known for his contributions to the use of science in public policy and his advancement of understanding how technology impacts society.
At the Kennedy School, he is remembered for his enthusiasm for challenges, his modesty, and his contributions to the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs — both academically and financially.
Branscomb died on May 31 at age 96 at a care facility in Redwood City, California.
Professor Graham T. Allison ’62, former director of the Belfer Center, worked closely with Branscomb while he served as the director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program at HKS. Allison called Branscomb “a giant among the giants who together built in HKS’s Science and Public Policy Program to create one of the best examples of the school’s highest aspirations.”
“Lew had an insatiable curiosity, an infectious enthusiasm for addressing seemingly intractable challenges, and a confident optimism about the ability of science and technology to build a better world,” Allison wrote in a statement.
After serving as IBM’s chief scientist for 14 years, Branscomb came to the Kennedy School in 1986 when Allison and STPP founding director Harvey Brooks recruited Branscomb to run the program. He served as a professor of public service at the school until 1994 and became a professor of public policy and corporate management until his retirement in 1996.
Branscomb also served as director of General Foods Corporation, Mobil, and other major companies, as well as the chairman of the National Science Board from 1980 to 1984.
John P. Holdren, Branscomb’s successor as director of STPP, praised Branscomb for his mentorship, leadership, and humility.
“Lew was often the smartest person in the room, but it was not in his character to try to insist that the others present acknowledge that,” Holdren said. “He was a perfect gentleman and a gentle mentor, as well as a great intellect, a gifted leader, and a committed humanitarian. It was one of the signal pleasures of my life to get to know and learn from this great man.”
From Industry to Academia
Joseph S. Nye, the former dean of the Kennedy School in the late ’90s and early 2000s, said Branscomb was integral to bringing science and technology issues into discussions at the school.
“He helped us get our feet on the ground, so to speak, with understanding the internet and cyber issues, so he was a popular teacher and a popular colleague and always very helpful for those who were technologically less adept than he was,” Nye said.
At the Kennedy School, Branscomb researched the overlap between the newest technologies across all fields and their societal uses and impacts.
According to Venkatesh Narayanamurti, an emeritus professor of technology and public policy, Branscomb’s experience as IBM’s chief scientist and his background in academia made him a “foundational person” in discussing the ways academic research could have applications in industry.
One of Branscomb’s major contributions to the Kennedy School was bringing conversations about the role of information technology in everyday society to the forefront, according to Holdren.
“How advances in information technology had gotten into the hands of the wider public in terms of initially portable calculators, later cell phones, laptop computers, and so on and so forth — we wanted to understand the processes by which that happened,” Holdren said. “We wanted to understand the consequences for society of these advances, and also wanted to understand the downsides of some of these technologies, posed risks, and harms to society.”
Branscomb also convinced IBM to donate to the program and establish an endowment, according to Holdren.
“Every subsequent director, including me, has benefited from having an endowment flow that belonged to this particular program,” Holdren said. “He benefited the program both intellectually in terms of the expanded, broadened, important focus on information technology, but also in terms of the financial solidity of the program.”
Professor, Mentor, and Teacher
Branscomb’s experience in industry also allowed him to be a resource to the many students at the Kennedy School who would go on to work in government, nonprofits, and business, Nye said.
“Having Lew teaching his courses and advising students like that would just do an enormous help, and help them make the transition between Harvard and the outside world,” Nye said.
As a professor, Branscomb and his courses were very popular among students, Nye remembered.
Holdren recalled watching Branscomb teach several of classes, describing his teaching style as “constructive” and “cordial.”
“He was always supportive, helpful, considerate, never overweening, never aggressively explaining to a student how they had gotten some major thing wrong,” Holdren said. “In all the occasions I witnessed, he treated students as young colleagues, not as inferior beings.”
Before arriving at the Kennedy School, Holdren met Branscomb through the National Academy of Sciences, of which they were both members. According to Holdren, the pair became better acquainted while working together during Holdren’s tenure as STPP director in 1996.
Holdren said that having Branscomb as a mentor was a great experience, adding that Branscomb allowed Holdren to lead the program independently.
“He was fantastically helpful, but never intrusive,” Holdren said. “He gave me advice whenever I asked for it, but he did not, in any respect, try to continue to run the program, in which I succeeded him.”
After Branscomb stepped down as director, he remained at the Kennedy School and “continued to be a very valued professor, researcher, and colleague for a number of years,” according to Holdren.
Even when Branscomb retired, Nye said, he continued to attend HKS events and maintained friendships with many members of the faculty.
“It was a continuing community for him,” Nye said.
—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.