Faculty
Harvard Astrophysicist Puts Observatory on Top of the Las Vegas Sphere to Search for UAPs
A team of Harvard researchers established an observatory on top of the Sphere, a giant immersive entertainment venue in Las Vegas, in order to detect signs of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or mysterious objects in the sky.
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Runs a $350 Million Structural Deficit
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences is running an estimated structural deficit of approximately $350 million, a major shortfall that will require a dramatic reworking of its budget, FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced in an email to affiliates Tuesday afternoon.
Planning Group Releases Proposed Bylaws for a Faculty Senate at Harvard
The planning body for a University-wide faculty senate released proposed bylaws for the group on Friday, recommending a 43-member senate that would help advise Harvard’s central administration and governing boards on issues that cut across the University.
Harvard Study Classifies 70% of U.S. Adults as Obese Under New Definition
70% of Americans may now be classified as obese, according to a new study authored by Harvard Medical School researchers investigating an updated definition for obesity.
The Former Harvard Professor Who Won This Year’s Nobel Prize in Economics
Former Harvard Economics professor Philippe M. Aghion won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on economic growth and innovation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Oct. 13.
Harvard Lays Off Student Advisers and Lecturers in SEAS Cuts
Nearly a dozen positions that directly support students were among those eliminated in a sweeping round of layoffs at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences earlier this month, according to a document obtained by The Crimson.
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for the next two years.
Harvard Unions Stage Poster Campaign in Protest of Black Lives Matter Sign Removal
Members of three Harvard unions plastered hundreds of Black Lives Matter posters across campus on Thursday to protest the University’s decision to remove a sign bearing the same message from two professors’ office windows this summer.
Michael Sandel Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture
Sandel won $1 million from the Berggruen Institute and was named their 2025 laureate for Philosophy & Culture on Tuesday.
New Butterfly Species Named After Harvard Lecturer Andrew Berry
A newly designated butterfly species, Euptychia andrewberryi, has been named in honor of Harvard lecturer Andrew J. Berry by postdoctoral fellow Shinichi Nakahara, who identified the species.
Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Lays Off 25% of HUCTW Staff
Harvard will lay off roughly 25 percent of staff represented by its clerical and technical workers’ union at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and reorganize several offices in response to mounting funding pressures, according to the union.
Harvard Faculty Say Shutdown Could Erode Trust in Government
Congressional Democrats and Republicans are in a healthcare standoff, disputing over whether the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies should last into 2026. Experts said the loss of services that result from the shutdown will have an impact on American’s daily lives.
Diana Eck, Harvard’s Leading Scholar of Religious Pluralism, Discusses ‘Pivot to Pluralism’ in Higher Education
Eck’s talk took up a topic that Harvard has embraced even as it shifts away from the language of diversity, equity, and inclusion. But Eck said she saw pluralism as a way to recognize and reckon with diversity, not to replace it.
Hoekstra Says Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Is ‘On Stronger Footing’ After Cost-Cutting
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told faculty on Tuesday that the school was “on stronger footing” after taking steps to tighten its budget in the face of an unstable financial climate under the Trump administration.
HLS Visiting Professor Placed on Leave After Arrest For Firing Pellet Gun Near Brookline Synagogue
A visiting professor at Harvard Law School was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation after allegedly firing a pellet gun outside of a Brookline synagogue on the eve of Yom Kippur.
Harvard FAS To ‘Significantly’ Reduce Graduate Program Admissions Amid Budget Tightening
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will admit new Ph.D. students “at significantly reduced levels” this year as Harvard shrinks its budgets in response to mounting federal funding pressures, according to a Tuesday email from FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra.
Harvard Researchers Develop First Ever Continuously Operating Quantum Computer
A team of Harvard physicists built the first-ever quantum computing machine that can operate continuously without restarting, achieving a major breakthrough in a field that could revolutionize everything from medical research to finance.
Judge Rules Trump’s Targeting of Pro-Palestine International Students Unconstitutional, Siding With Harvard AAUP
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration violated the First Amendment rights of international students and professors who participated in pro-Palestine advocacy, handing a victory to a Harvard faculty group that sued this spring.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Emails Reveal Close Correspondence With Harvard Professors, Bloomberg Reports
Several Harvard professors maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein after he was first indicted in 2006 for soliciting prostitution, according to Bloomberg News, which reviewed more than 18,000 emails from Epstein’s inbox.
Harvard Impact Labs Fund $25,000 Grants for Faculty Public Service
Eight University professors received $25,000 grants as part of their inaugural Harvard Impact Labs fellowships to launch social science projects in collaboration with public and private sector leaders.
Harvard Researchers Find Executive Function Tests May Be Culturally Biased
Researchers from Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology found that educated children perform better on psychological tests measuring executive functioning abilities, challenging the accuracy of current measures in studies across different cultures.
MethaneSAT Went Dark in June. What’s Next for the Harvard Scientists Behind It?
In March 2024, a state-of-the-art methane-detecting satellite — the product of nearly a decade of work in Harvard labs — soared into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But a year later, MethaneSAT lost power in space, and its stream of data on emissions of the potent greenhouse gas went dark.
Harvard Hires New Faculty in Jewish Studies
Harvard is on track to add three tenured professors to its ranks in Jewish Studies to address a series of retirements and faculty vacancies that threatened the program’s future.
Harvard Researchers Develop Novel Early-Detection Tool for HPV-Caused Cancer
Harvard Medical School affiliated researchers recently revealed a new technique to help doctors detect head and neck cancers caused by strains of human papillomavirus up to 10 years prior to diagnosis.
A Surprise Tenure Denial in Harvard’s Gender Studies Program Leaves Some Faculty Shaken
Durba Mitra’s colleagues thought she was a near-perfect tenure candidate. When her bid was shot down in June, they were left questioning the process.