Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
@gsas.harvard.edu
The official account for #HarvardGriffinGSAS 💡Where scholarship and innovation meet | gsas.harvard.edu
Wishing our wonderful community a happy and healthy new year ahead! ⛄️
January 1, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Wishing our wonderful community a happy and healthy new year ahead! ⛄️
Dr. Aisha Usmani of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School discusses how cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based approaches can provide a powerful framework for creating resolutions that last throughout the year.
Be Well: New Year’s Resolutions for Lasting Change
Dr. Aisha Usmani of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School discusses how cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based approaches can provide a powerful framework for creating…
gsas.harvard.edu
December 22, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Dr. Aisha Usmani of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School discusses how cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based approaches can provide a powerful framework for creating resolutions that last throughout the year.
Now in her third year as a fellow at the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Maya Jackson strives to care for student parents by creating programming to which they can look forward every year.
Find Your Center: Helping Families to Flourish
Now in her third year as a fellow at the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Maya Jackson strives to care for student parents by creating programming to which they can look forward every year.
gsas.harvard.edu
December 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Now in her third year as a fellow at the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Maya Jackson strives to care for student parents by creating programming to which they can look forward every year.
Even as Atte Kadoma and Isaias Ghezae are immersed in demanding PhD programs at Harvard, being resident advisor brings balance to their lives and enriches both their student experience and their scholarly pursuits.
Building Community, Spreading Joy
Even as Atte Kadoma and Isaias Ghezae are immersed in demanding PhD programs at Harvard, being resident advisor brings balance to their lives and enriches both their student experience and their…
gsas.harvard.edu
December 17, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Even as Atte Kadoma and Isaias Ghezae are immersed in demanding PhD programs at Harvard, being resident advisor brings balance to their lives and enriches both their student experience and their scholarly pursuits.
Research from GSAS alumni Chanthia Ma & Guanlan Dong sequences the entire genome of individual cells to shed light not only on how brain trauma leads to long-term decline but also on possible shared mechanisms across different neurodegenerative conditions.
A Breakthrough for Studying Diseases of the Brain
New research from Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni Chanthia Ma and Guanlan Dong sequences the entire genome of individual cells to shed light not only on how brain trauma leads to long-term decline but…
gsas.harvard.edu
December 10, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Research from GSAS alumni Chanthia Ma & Guanlan Dong sequences the entire genome of individual cells to shed light not only on how brain trauma leads to long-term decline but also on possible shared mechanisms across different neurodegenerative conditions.
Aurélien Dersy is a sixth-year PhD student in physics at Harvard Griffin GSAS whose work straddles high-energy theoretical physics and artificial intelligence.
Through AI, New Dimensions in Physics
Aurélien Dersy is a sixth-year PhD student in physics at Harvard Griffin GSAS whose work straddles high-energy theoretical physics and artificial intelligence.
gsas.harvard.edu
December 8, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Aurélien Dersy is a sixth-year PhD student in physics at Harvard Griffin GSAS whose work straddles high-energy theoretical physics and artificial intelligence.
Jennifer Cruz, PhD ’25, lost her mother to breast and brain cancer when she was 13. Today, she devotes herself to overcoming structural barriers to breast cancer screening in rural communities like Wapato, Washington, where she grew up.
Fighting Breast Cancer in Rural America
After losing her mother to cancer, Jennifer Cruz, PhD ’25, devoted herself to improving health care access in rural communities like her hometown of Wapato, Washington. The result of her research is…
gsas.harvard.edu
December 3, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Jennifer Cruz, PhD ’25, lost her mother to breast and brain cancer when she was 13. Today, she devotes herself to overcoming structural barriers to breast cancer screening in rural communities like Wapato, Washington, where she grew up.
Landing on the moon required the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of people. Understanding how humans achieve these kinds of extraordinary feats is at the core of psychology PhD student Yang Xiang’s research on how our minds navigate collaboration.
Building Collaborations that Harness the Strength of the Human Mind | Dissertation in One Minute
Landing on the moon required the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of people. Understanding how humans achieve these kinds of extraordinary feats is at the core of psychology PhD student…
youtu.be
December 1, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Landing on the moon required the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of people. Understanding how humans achieve these kinds of extraordinary feats is at the core of psychology PhD student Yang Xiang’s research on how our minds navigate collaboration.
As the term and the year draw to a close, take a moment to pause, recharge, and enjoy the season with camaraderie and Harvard Griffin GSAS programming featuring music, snacks, crafting, dancing, and more.
Find Your Center: Relax and Recharge at Late Fall Events
The fall months are flying by, and winter is just around the corner! As the term and the year draw to a close, take a moment to pause, recharge, and enjoy the season with camaraderie and Harvard…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 21, 2025 at 11:35 AM
As the term and the year draw to a close, take a moment to pause, recharge, and enjoy the season with camaraderie and Harvard Griffin GSAS programming featuring music, snacks, crafting, dancing, and more.
The path from medium-security prison—as well as opioid addiction and family trauma—to a PhD program at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is narrow and has few travelers. Somehow, Johnny Smith found his way to it and through it.
Surviving San Quentin
The path from medium-security prison—as well as opioid addiction and family trauma—to a PhD program at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is narrow and has few…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
The path from medium-security prison—as well as opioid addiction and family trauma—to a PhD program at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is narrow and has few travelers. Somehow, Johnny Smith found his way to it and through it.
With the temps dropping and daylight hours dwindling, it can be easy to feel your motivation do the same. Fortunately, Harvard and the surrounding Cambridge area offer plenty of opportunities to keep moving and reset as the light begins to fade earlier each day. gsas.harvard.edu/news/be-well...
Be Well: Warm Up to Fitness through the Shorter Days and Colder Months
With the temperature dropping and daylight hours dwindling, it can be easy to feel your motivation do the same. Fortunately, Harvard and the surrounding Cambridge area offer plenty of opportunities…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 17, 2025 at 11:35 AM
With the temps dropping and daylight hours dwindling, it can be easy to feel your motivation do the same. Fortunately, Harvard and the surrounding Cambridge area offer plenty of opportunities to keep moving and reset as the light begins to fade earlier each day. gsas.harvard.edu/news/be-well...
Clinical psychologist and Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Ben Bellet’s debut poetry collection, Cadet, is part memoir of his time at West Point, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, where he was a US Army officer, and part meditation on masculinity. gsas.harvard.edu/news/militar...
Military Man
Clinical psychologist and Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Ben Bellet’s debut poetry collection, Cadet, is part memoir of his time at West Point, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, where he was a US Army officer,…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 11, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Clinical psychologist and Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Ben Bellet’s debut poetry collection, Cadet, is part memoir of his time at West Point, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, where he was a US Army officer, and part meditation on masculinity. gsas.harvard.edu/news/militar...
In preparation for the Ken Burns documentary event on PBS, we're getting a primer on the founding of the US from Phil Mead, PhD '12, former chief historian and curator of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
“Was the American Revolution a Civil War?” and Other Thorny Questions about the Nation’s Founding
In preparation for the Ken Burns documentary event on PBS, we're getting a primer on the founding of the US from Phil Mead, PhD '12, former chief historian and curator of the Museum of the American…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 10, 2025 at 11:35 AM
In preparation for the Ken Burns documentary event on PBS, we're getting a primer on the founding of the US from Phil Mead, PhD '12, former chief historian and curator of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
A ground breaking gene-insertion technology developed by the musically-inclined Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD student Isaac Witte and colleagues may bring us closer to treating diseases like cystic fibrosis at their genetic root.
From Bach to Breakthroughs
A ground breaking gene-insertion technology developed by the musically-inclined Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD student Isaac Witte and colleagues may bring us closer to treating diseases like cystic…
gsas.harvard.edu
November 5, 2025 at 11:35 AM
A ground breaking gene-insertion technology developed by the musically-inclined Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD student Isaac Witte and colleagues may bring us closer to treating diseases like cystic fibrosis at their genetic root.
What the Healthy Minds Survey reveals about student well-being.
Be Well: Listening, Learning, and Flourishing
What the Healthy Minds Survey reveals about student well-being
gsas.harvard.edu
October 24, 2025 at 10:35 AM
What the Healthy Minds Survey reveals about student well-being.
Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Philippe Aghion was honored with a share of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics for developing a mathematical model that explains how “creative destruction” drives economic growth.
How Growth Happens
Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Philippe Aghion was honored with a share of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics for developing a mathematical model that explains how “creative destruction” drives economic…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 23, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Harvard Griffin GSAS alumnus Philippe Aghion was honored with a share of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics for developing a mathematical model that explains how “creative destruction” drives economic growth.
By studying works of “quotidian horror,” PhD student Andrea Garza explores the ways that stories can enable us to look squarely at violence and take action instead of turning away or falling prey to paralysis.
Overcoming the "Everyday Horror" of Mexico’s Drug War
By studying works of “quotidian horror,” PhD student Andrea Garza explores the ways that stories can enable us to look squarely at violence and take action instead of turning away or falling prey to…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 22, 2025 at 10:35 AM
By studying works of “quotidian horror,” PhD student Andrea Garza explores the ways that stories can enable us to look squarely at violence and take action instead of turning away or falling prey to paralysis.
Leadership transitions are inevitable; peaceful transitions are not. How can societies ensure that power changes hands without violence? In his dissertation, PhD student Daniel Lowery examines how monarchs in Europe and Asia transferred power across the centuries.
Peace and Violence in the Game of Thrones | Dissertation in One Minute
Leadership transitions are inevitable; peaceful transitions are not. How can societies ensure that power changes hands without violence? In his dissertation, Why Institutions Fail: Understanding…
youtu.be
October 20, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Leadership transitions are inevitable; peaceful transitions are not. How can societies ensure that power changes hands without violence? In his dissertation, PhD student Daniel Lowery examines how monarchs in Europe and Asia transferred power across the centuries.
Even as it hopes to beat rival teams at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, the larger goal of the Rowing Club at Harvard Griffin GSAS is to make rowing more inclusive and accessible, and to strengthen the University’s graduate student community.
Find Your Center: Rolling on the River
Even as it hopes to beat rival teams from Yale and MIT at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, the larger goal of the Rowing Club at Harvard Griffin GSAS is to make rowing more inclusive and…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 17, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Even as it hopes to beat rival teams at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, the larger goal of the Rowing Club at Harvard Griffin GSAS is to make rowing more inclusive and accessible, and to strengthen the University’s graduate student community.
Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni share the knowledge they create not only in scholarly and scientific journals, but also in books written both for those in their field and for a wider audience. Here is a sampling of recently published works by graduates. gsas.harvard.edu/news/recentl...
Recently Published: Summer/Fall 2025
Here is a sampling of recently published works by graduates, as presented in the summer/fall issue of the School's Colloquy magazine.
gsas.harvard.edu
October 15, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni share the knowledge they create not only in scholarly and scientific journals, but also in books written both for those in their field and for a wider audience. Here is a sampling of recently published works by graduates. gsas.harvard.edu/news/recentl...
Rhine Samajdar, who earned his PhD in physics from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) in 2022, has been named one of twelve recipients of the 2025 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize.
Samajdar Named 2025 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize Winner
Rhine Samajdar, PhD ’22, was recognized for early-career contributions to quantum information science and engineering, an area with the potential to transform technology and society.
gsas.harvard.edu
October 9, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Rhine Samajdar, who earned his PhD in physics from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) in 2022, has been named one of twelve recipients of the 2025 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize.
Powel Kazanjian, AM ’02, draws on his training in both medicine and the humanities to explore why diseases like syphilis, AIDS, and COVID-19 continue to afflict populations despite major biomedical advances.
Why Pandemics Don't End
Powel Kazanjian, AM ’02, draws on his training in both medicine and the humanities to explore why diseases like syphilis, AIDS, and COVID-19 continue to afflict populations despite major biomedical…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 8, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Powel Kazanjian, AM ’02, draws on his training in both medicine and the humanities to explore why diseases like syphilis, AIDS, and COVID-19 continue to afflict populations despite major biomedical advances.
Cornell University historian Mary Beth Norton, PhD ’69, discusses how the conflict on New England’s frontier shaped the Salem witch trials, revealing a story of trauma, refugees, and accusations in 17th-century Massachusetts.
Colloquy Podcast: In the Snare of the Devil—What Really Caused the Salem Witch Crisis?
Cornell University historian Mary Beth Norton, PhD ’69, discusses how the conflict on New England’s frontier shaped the Salem witch trials, revealing a story of trauma, refugees, and accusations in…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 7, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Cornell University historian Mary Beth Norton, PhD ’69, discusses how the conflict on New England’s frontier shaped the Salem witch trials, revealing a story of trauma, refugees, and accusations in 17th-century Massachusetts.
The 2025 Centennial Medalists established the basis for new knowledge and new fields of study. All of this year’s honorees are renowned for building the foundations of their disciplines.
Foundational Leaders
The leaders awarded the 2025 Centennial Medal, Harvard Griffin GSAS's highest alumni honor, established the basis for new knowledge and new fields of study. They include a co-founder of Partners in…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
The 2025 Centennial Medalists established the basis for new knowledge and new fields of study. All of this year’s honorees are renowned for building the foundations of their disciplines.
Michele Cheng is a second-year PhD student in music at Harvard Griffin GSAS. An interdisciplinary composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and puppeteer, Cheng explores storytelling through sound, performance, and object theater.
Composing for the Spaces In-Between
Michele Cheng is a second-year PhD student in music at Harvard Griffin GSAS. An interdisciplinary composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and puppeteer, Cheng explores storytelling through…
gsas.harvard.edu
October 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Michele Cheng is a second-year PhD student in music at Harvard Griffin GSAS. An interdisciplinary composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and puppeteer, Cheng explores storytelling through sound, performance, and object theater.