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

Pippa Norris on the global rise of populist authoritarianism

Harvard political scientist Pippa Norris chronicles the rise of populist authoritarians in Western democracies.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Vincent Brown writes war and empire into the history of slavery

Vincent Brown writes war, empire, and slaves’ agency into the history of Atlantic slavery.

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu, profiled

Playwright Antoinette Nwandu confronts race, religion, and her personal history.

by Olivia Schwob

Jazz and blues bassist Matthew Berlin

Avocational bassist Matthew Berlin

by Lydialyle Gibson

Profile of novelist Yangsze Choo

Malaysian-born Yangsze Choo writes novels infused with the tropical mysteries of her childhood.

by Stuart Miller

New York immigration activist Steven Choi

Steven Choi, J.D. ’04, works—and fights—at the vitriolic epicenter of immigration politics.

by Nell Porter-Brown

Harvard Alumni Association club and SIG awardees

The HAA recognizes those who bolster Harvard clubs and SIGs.

Short-term increases in air pollution linked to several new diseases

Researchers studying 95 million Medicare records find new fine-particle impacts in the blood, gut, skin, kidneys, and other organs.

by Jonathan Shaw

Harvard Overseer and HAA director elections

The official 2020 slates

Leadership without good judgment undermines government legitimacy

The right to rule depends not only on the way power is gained, but how it is wielded.

by John A. Griffin