Belfer Center 2026 Spring Gathering
In 2026, the Belfer Center's Spring Gathering featured a two-day program celebrating the Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professorship and showcasing Belfer Center expertise on diplomacy, technology, and national security.
The event launched the Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft with Professor Nick Burns; included a "Demo Day" of exciting interactive research streams being conducted by Belfer projects, fellows and staff; and culminated in a a crisis simulation led by Adjunct Lecturer and New York Times reporter David Sanger on what a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan could look like.
The New Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professorship
The Belfer Center marked the establishment of the Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professorship of Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement, and Global Policy at Harvard Kennedy School—an effort made possible by 88 individual gifts, reflecting Ash Carter’s belief in the power of collective commitment to advance public purpose. Each year, a distinguished visiting professor will bring deep expertise and experience to carry forward the mission of former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Belfer Center Director Ashton B. Carter, working at the critical intersection of emerging technology, scientific innovation, and global policy.
The Work Continues
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Stephanie Carter's Remarks
Read Here"As many of you know, Ash’s legacy wasn’t in his books, his policy achievements or his many degrees and titles—it was always people—both his students and the troops he commanded. He encountered his former students all over the world and the thought of positively impacting the trajectory of a young person’s life at a pivotal moment thrilled him."
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Apply to the Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professorship
Apply HereEach year, the Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professor will join Harvard Kennedy School for a defined term, bringing current, real-world experience into the classroom and into the policy conversation. This annual model reflects Carter’s belief that effective policy requires constant engagement with new ideas, new technologies, and new perspectives.
The 2026 Spring Gathering in Photos
At an exclusive opening dinner for the 2026 Spring Gathering, Belfer Center Director Meghan L. O'Sullivan made opening remarks.
General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., Doug Beck and Liz Sherwood Randall spoke about the evolving relationship between national security, technological innovation, and economic power at a dinner program honoring Ash Carter, who championed deeper collaboration between the Pentagon, Silicon Valley, and the policy community.
Pictured at the opening dinner: Laura S. H. Holgate, Michael McQuade, and Liz Sherwood Randall.
Pictured at the event: International Council Co-Chairs Laurence D. Belfer and Scott Nathan.
Pictured: Eric Rosenbach and Stephanie Carter, who gave remarks celebrating the Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professorship, the result of a two-year effort supported by more than 85 individual gifts, respectively.
A live crisis scenario, moderated by David E. Sanger, Adjunct Lecturer and the Chief Washington Correspondent of The New York Times, was conducted from the JFK Jr. Forum on Friday, April 17.
Participants included Nick Burns, Col. Jay Ireland, Juliette Kayyem, Michael McQuade, and Mark Pascale. This active conversation unfolded dynamically as participants assessed developments, surface tradeoffs, and anticipate second- and third-order effects across regions.
At the Emerging Tech "Demo Day," an interactive session showcased several of the Belfer Center’s frontier technology initiatives. Each booth introduced the problem being addressed, demonstrated the underlying work, and explained the potential realworld policy impact and future trajectory of the initiative.
Pictured: Rachel Mural explaining a new policy brief: AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: A Watershed Moment.
At a booth from the Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement, and Global Policy project, the Move 37 team explored the responsible application of frontier technology to negotiations, diplomacy, and conflict management.
A conversation between R. Nicholas Burns and Jane Hartley, moderated by Meghan L. O'Sullivan, marked the launch of the new Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft.
At the JFK Jr. Forum, Chrystia Freeland and Malcolm Turnbull spoke about democratic leadership in a period of geopolitical and economic transition. Drawing on their experience leading major democratic allies of the United States, the livestreamed conversation explored how middle powers navigate great-power competition, economic security, and technological change while sustaining open societies and resilient institutions.
Watch: A Conversation with Nick Burns and Jane Hartley
This conversation marked the launch of the new Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft, led by R. Nicholas Burns. Ambassador Burns, former U.S. Ambassador to China and the Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at HKS, was joined by Jane Hartley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom and U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco.
Moderated by Meghan L. O’Sullivan, the discussion examined the enduring role of diplomacy as a core instrument of American power, alongside military strength, economic influence, and technological leadership, and considered how diplomats must adapt their tools and strategies to meet the challenges of a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.
Live from the JFK Jr. Forum
A forum conversation brought together Fisher Family Fellow Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister of Australia, for a discussion on democratic leadership in a period of geopolitical and economic transition.
Drawing on their experience leading major democratic allies of the United States, the conversation explores how middle powers navigate great-power competition, economic security, and technological change while sustaining open societies and resilient institutions. The discussion also examines the role that alliances and partnerships among democratic nations play in shaping the future international order, offering perspectives from North America and the Indo-Pacific on how governments can work together to address shared strategic challenges.