Alumni & People

curation of alumni people, faculty and student profiles

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

Will Cities Survive Another Pandemic?

Inequities threaten the long-term health of cities

by Daniel Oberhaus

Your Brain on Exercise

The hormone irisin, promising as a therapeutic against Alzheimer’s and dementia, is responsible for the cognitive benefits of exercise.

by Jonathan Shaw

Both Sides Now

Tomiko Brown-Nagin’s bifocal view of the civil-rights movement

by Lincoln Caplan

Reporting, with an M.B.A.

Charles Duhigg unpacks how individuals and organizations work at war, on Wall Street, and in Silicon Valley

by Jonathan Shaw

The Poet of Old Age

Donald Hall, chronicler of life

by Adam Kirsch

Damage and Repair

Textile artist Celia Pym knits meaning into mended clothes.

by Lydialyle Gibson

From Punk to the Silver Screen

The ingenious, intuitive film scores of Carter Burwell ’77

by Nicolas Rapold

War, Misremembered

Elizabeth Samet, of West Point, reinterprets the American understanding of World War II.

Chan Zuckerberg Commits $500 Million to Harvard Neuroscience and AI Institute

A 15-year investment in biomedical and applied science research

by Jonathan Shaw

Moderna’s Vaccine More Effective than Pfizer’s

A head-to-head comparison in 440,000 vaccinated veterans finds Moderna’s vaccine is slightly more effective than Pfizer’s at preventing a range of COVID-19 outcomes.

by Jonathan Shaw