Alumni & People

curation of alumni people, faculty and student profiles

Conan O’Brien in a dark suit and light shirt, smiling and posing with hands clasped.

Conan O’Brien Named Harvard’s 2026 Commencement Speaker

The comedian, host, and 1985 graduate will deliver remarks at the May 28 ceremony. 

by Schuyler Velasco

Photograph of William Randall playing guitar in his Lowell House room, c. 1970-1971

Learners, Grizzled and Downy

An affecting reunion, and Houghton Library accessible to all

by Primus VI

Illustration of a two-car garage, with an electric vehicle on the left and an SUV on the right

Who Should Drive an Electric Vehicle?

Targeting the wrong buyers—and producing more greenhouse-gas emissions

by Nancy Walecki

Illustration of a donkey turning a ship’s wheel away from high-rise apartment buildings in the background

Origins of the Urban Housing Crisis

The high cost of environmental mandates, historic-preservation rules, and other good intentions

by Jonathan Shaw

Illustration of two runners, one surrounded by components of a healthy diet, the other surrounded by high-sugar foods.

Does High Blood Sugar Blunt the Benefits of Exercise?

Understanding “low response to training”—and searching for solutions for diabetics and others

by Daniel Oberhaus

Underwriting Sustainability Studies

A $200-million gift for the Salata Institute

by John S. Rosenberg , Jonathan Shaw

illustration showing multiple hands dismantling a rifle

The Parkland Generation

Coming of age in an era of gun violence

by Swathi Kella

2022-23 Ledecky Fellows

The 2022-2023 Ledecky Undergraduate Fellows

Photograph of Phil Baczewki, a long COVID patient

The Causes of Long COVID

Trying to understand infections’ persistent effects—and to develop cures

by Jonathan Shaw

“A Moral Obligation”

Charles Berlin and 60 years of collecting for Harvard Library

by Lydialyle Gibson

A black and white cartoon shows a computer-user, with Earth’s globe for a head, stares into a screen, while spiders labeled “hate,” “misinformation,” “fear,” and “lies” crawl across his body, wrapping him in their webs.

Truer than Reality

Kevin Kallaugher on the art of editorial cartooning

by Dan Kelly