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

A close-up photograph of Jupiter, including its Great Red Spot

Clues to the persistence of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

The gas giant’s storms could be driven by processes thousands of kilometers below the surface.

by Veronique Greenwood

An evocative illustration that incorporates musical notation into the familiar double helix of DNA

Using DNA for data storage

Compact and persistent, DNA could one day compress all human knowledge into a 15-gallon drum.

by Steve Nadis

A photograph of the border wall stretching toward a mountain in the distance

Photographer Morgan Smith's Images and Encounters at the Mexican Border

Photographer Morgan Smith ’60 documents life on the precarious precipice between Mexico and the United States.

by Lydialyle Gibson

A Zoom screen shot shows guest speaker Isabel Wilkerson, interviewer Don Lemon, and Harvard professor David R. Williams

Isabel Wilkerson speaks at Harvard about racism storytelling and public health

Author Isabel Wilkerson kicks off a Harvard speaker series on storytelling and public health.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Harvard Forward logo

Harvard Forward Candidates on Overseer Ballot

For the second consecutive year, petitioners have qualified to be candidates in the Board of Overseers election.

by John S. Rosenberg

A view of Dunster House from across the river

How Many Undergraduates Are At Harvard Now?

Far fewer students in residence than the number invited back to campus for spring

by John S. Rosenberg

Photo of the entrance to the Peabody Museum

Peabody Museum Discovers Possible Slave Remains in Its Collections

“We must begin to confront the reality of a past in which academic curiosity and opportunity overwhelmed humanity,” Harvard president Lawrence Bacow wrote. 

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

A large dorm room with desk, bed, lamps, and quarantine necessities, including bottled water, masks, and sanitizing supplies.

Back to campus for senior spring under COVID

What’s changed—and what hasn’t

by Meena Venkataramanan

Photograph of entrance to Loeb House, where Harvard governing boards convene

Harvard Overseer Prospects’ Views

Responses to Harvard Magazine’s questionnaire about the University’s challenges and opportunities—and Overseers’ role in leading the institution forward

by John S. Rosenberg

Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School

U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik removed from IOP advisory committee

“Elise has made public assertions about voter fraud in November’s presidential election that have no basis in evidence,” Harvard Kennedy School dean Doug Elmendorf wrote.