Faculty
HLS Visiting Professor Takes Plea Deal For Firing Pellet Gun Near Brookline Synagogue
Harvard Law School visiting professor who pleaded not guilty to firing a pellet gun near a Brookline synagogue had three of the four charges against him dismissed as part of a Nov. 13 plea deal.
Summers Withdraws From Group of 30 Amid Epstein Scrutiny
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers withdrew from the Group of 30, an international group of financial leaders and academic economists, on Friday amid escalating scrutiny over his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein, according to a spokesperson.
Yale Too Lame To Draw Trump’s Attention, Harvard Lecturer Andrew Berry Says in Annual Bulldog Roast
As undergraduates gear up for the 141st Harvard-Yale Game Saturday, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology lecturer Andrew J. Berry took the stage at Sanders Theatre Thursday night to deliver a humorous while data-driven argument for why Harvard is better than Yale.
In Harvard Classrooms, Summers’ Co-Instructors Address His Sudden Exit
Harvard professors who co-taught courses with former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers responded in sharply different ways to his sudden departure when they briefly acknowledged the fallout from Summers’ emails with convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein in class on Thursday.
Summers Visited Epstein’s Island During 2005 Honeymoon
In the winter of 2005, just after their wedding at Elmwood — the Harvard president’s official residence — Lawrence H. Summers and his wife, Elisa F. New, traded Cambridge’s cold for a warmer escape.
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
‘He Should Resign’: Harvard Undergrads Take Hard Line Against Summers Over Epstein Scandal
Harvard students decried former University President Lawrence H. Summers’ relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein, with some calling for his resignation after documents released last week showed the two maintained a close correspondence until Epstein’s final arrest in July 2019.
John Huth Discusses New Book ‘A Sense of Space: A Local’s Guide to a Flat Earth, the Edge of the Cosmos, and Other Curious Place’
Harvard physics professor and author John E. Huth discussed his new book, “A Sense of Space,” which explores the interaction between society and evolving scientific explanations of space, in the Science Center on Tuesday.
Harvard To Admit 50% Fewer Ph.D. Students in Science, Walking Back Deeper Cuts
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it would reduce the number of Ph.D. admissions slots for the Science division by 50 percent for the current admissions cycle, walking back plans for even steeper cuts after faculty responded with frustration to the reductions.
Summers Resigns From OpenAI Board Amid Backlash Over Epstein Emails
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers stepped down from OpenAI’s Board of Directors on Wednesday, the latest in a rapid retreat from his public roles following renewed scrutiny of his relationship with Jeffrey E. Epstein.
State Department Opens Inquiry into Harvard CAMLab After Former Employee Files Complaint
The State Department opened an inquiry into the Harvard Cognitive Aesthetics Media Lab, after a former employee filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the lab mishandled the admissions process for its visiting scholars program.
Harvard To Launch New Investigation Into Epstein’s Ties to Summers, Other University Affiliates
Harvard will open a new probe into former University President Lawrence H. Summers’ connections with convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein, after newly released documents revealed the two shared an unusually close relationship for several years, a Harvard spokesperson confirmed Tuesday night.
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Trump Orders Justice Dept. To Investigate Ties Between Epstein, Summers
The Justice Department asked a federal prosecutor on Friday to investigate ties between child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein and a list of prominent figures including Harvard professor Lawrence H. Summers.
Harvard Faculty Disturbed by Revelations of Summers’ ‘Cozy Friendship’ With Epstein
Harvard professors responded with outrage to a tranche of emails showing a close yearslong correspondence between former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers and sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein, reopening an old and bitter divide between Summers and the faculty.
Harvard Technology Services Lays Off Dozens of Workers, Citing ‘Financial Challenges’
Harvard laid off 38 information technology workers last week in its latest cost-cutting measure as the University faces extended financial uncertainty.
Jeffrey Epstein Ridiculed Lawyer Alan Dershowitz in Private, New Emails Show
Jeffrey E. Epstein, the financier at the heart of an infamous child sex trafficking operation, privately disparaged former Harvard professor Alan M. Dershowitz over a period of years even as Dershowitz, his lawyer, continued providing legal guidance, according to emails released by Congress on Wednesday.
‘Turn the Temperature Down’: Panelists Talk National Unity, Immigration at Harvard Safra Center Talk
An interdisciplinary group of panelists mulled over immigration and national unity during a panel hosted by the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics on Wednesday.
Psych Professor Steven Pinker Criticizes Cancel Culture in Academia, Promotes Ideological Openness at IOP Forum
Harvard Psychology professor Steven A. Pinker condemned the rise of cancel culture in higher education at an Institute of Politics Forum on Wednesday, telling his audience that academics must avoid punitive reactions to peers who voice unorthodox beliefs.
Nobel-Winning DNA Scholar James Watson, Dead at 97, Leaves Famed but Fraught Legacy at Harvard
James “Jim” D. Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA at age 25 and went on to spend 21 years as a Harvard biology professor, died last Thursday at 97.
Harvard AAUP Asks Judge To Extend Speech Protections to International Students, Faculty Nationwide
After winning a court victory against the Trump administration in September, a Harvard faculty group is asking a federal judge to extend protections for noncitizens’ speech nationwide.
Harvard Researchers Say Strong Campaigns, Effective Anti-Trump Messaging Boosted Democrats in 2025 Elections
Political scientists at Harvard said Democratic victories in last week’s off-cycle elections were a sign of powerful backlash to Donald Trump’s presidency, but that Democrats could not afford to rest on their laurels ahead of the 2026 midterms.
At Harvard Panel, Scholars Say Ancient DNA May ‘Challenge Assumptions’ of Ethnic Homogeneity in Medieval England
A German archaeologist discussed his team’s research on two cadavers buried in early medieval England — both of whom had recent West African ancestry and appeared to be socially integrated with their communities — at a Harvard panel on Thursday.
Harvard Faculty Adjust to Teaching in the Political Hot Seat
As Harvard spends another year under the glare of a political spotlight, its instructors face a new challenge: teaching students about the same topics that draw furious headlines.
Harvard Faculty Question Whether Steep Ph.D. Cuts Are Necessary
Some Harvard faculty said they were frustrated with the recent reductions in Ph.D. admission numbers at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, even as some accepted the cuts as a difficult but necessary step for the University's finances.