Radcliffe Institute dean Barbara Grosz to step down

The computer scientist will conclude her service at the end of the academic year.

Barbara Grosz

Barbara Grosz | Photograph by Jon Chase/Harvard News Office

Radcliffe Institute dean Barbara J. Grosz, Higgins professor of natural sciences, announced today that she would step down from the post effective at the end of the academic year. After a year of leave, she will resume her academic post in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Grosz became acting dean in 2007, when Drew Faust became Harvard's president, and was appointed dean the following year. For the six previous years, she had served as the institute's dean of science.

In the University announcement, Faust said, “Barbara has a talent for nurturing intellectual communities—forging new interdisciplinary collaborations, bringing together scholars from Harvard’s Schools and around the world. Thanks to her wisdom and guidance, Radcliffe plays an important generative role in the intellectual life of the University.” The president announced that she would appoint an interim dean to serve effective July 1, and would form a search committee in the fall to identify a permanent successor.

Grosz's home page describes her research and teaching in computer sciences.

Related topics

You might also like

At Harvard’s IOP, Two Views of Diversity Get a Hearing

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Harvard Graduate Students Union Begins Strike Authorization Vote

Amid contract negotations, two unions are discussing a joint walkout this fall.

The Harvard AI Debate Heats Up

The University has pushed the adoption of AI into teaching and operations, but faculty resistance is growing louder.

Most popular

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

As Federal Funding Slows, Harvard Invests $150 Million in Faculty Research

A new University fund is intended to bolster basic research and attract more industry partnerships.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

A flooded office scene with computers, a woman working, and a pink sunset backdrop.

A College student’s attempt to recapture the romanticism of the workplace.

Caricature of a young man in front of red doors, wearing a green striped sweater.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026