Danielle Allen University Professor

A high-ranking position for a new member of the faculties

Portrait of Danielle Allen

Danielle Allen | Photograph by Jim Harrison

Political theorist Danielle Allen, who came to Harvard just last year—she is professor of government, professor of education, and director of the Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics—has been appointed Conant University Professor. University Professors hold the highest faculty rank at Harvard, reflecting the eminence of their scholarshp; they are free to teach and conduct research in any University school. (Chinese literature scholar Stephen Owen is also a Conant University Professor.)

Allen’s scholarship was profiled in depth in “The Egalitarian,” published in the May-June 2016 Harvard Magazine. She is known to a wide readership through her commentaries for The Washington Post.

Read the University announcement here.

You might also like

The Emmy-winning journalist was a mainstay of political coverage at NBC for two decades.

He was Harvard’s quintessential people person.

Phase A of the Allston project includes a hotel, residences, and a two-acre greenway.

Most popular

The Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings: An Analysis

The underlying arguments project clashing worldviews of race and appropriate remedies.

Dani Rodrik profiled by Marina Bolotnikova

Dani Rodrik’s views on trade, development, and democracy enter the mainstream.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

Explore More From Current Issue

A chaotic scene in a messy room with people engaging in various activities, some cleaning.

Until the 1950s, professionals cleaned up after students in the dorms.

A woman with long hair stands confidently with crossed arms next to a pickup truck.

In her memoir All That's Unseen, Emilee Hackney explores religion, friendship, and home.

Vibrant urban scene at dusk featuring a mural on a building and illuminated structures.

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.