Welcoming the Belfer Center Community Back to Campus, Fall 2025

Dear Members of the Belfer Community and Friends of the Center, 

As we begin another academic year at Harvard Kennedy School, the Belfer Center is once again alive with the energy of new students, faculty, and fellows from across the United States and around the world. Their arrival renews our collective commitment to bring diverse perspectives and ideas to the most consequential challenges at the intersection of science and international affairs, and to prepare the next generation of people who will confront them. 

This will be a dynamic year—not only because of the ideas and energy our community generates, but also because the events shaping our world will continue to surprise and challenge us. Closer to home, Harvard continues to face challenges from the U.S. government around how we conduct our work, educate our students, and pursue the truth in whatever field our expertise lies.  

In looking ahead, I find myself thinking of our late colleague Joe Nye, who often highlighted how disruption brings opportunities. If he were here to mark the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II this week, he might remind us of how the horrors of the war compelled the world to build the institutions and architecture of a new world order. Now, as we face the deterioration of that order, we know that a new one must eventually emerge—and we are given the opportunity to shape it. How wonderful to do so from the Belfer Center, which exists to engage rigorously, to debate openly, and to produce ideas that inform decision-makers and societies around the globe. 

This fall, we are pleased to welcome new faculty colleagues and those returning from government service, sabbaticals, or parental leave. We also welcome a strong cohort of fellows, from pre- and post-doctoral scholars to senior professionals. Their presence underscores the Center’s vital role as a hub where scholarship and practice come together. Our growing staff, both long-time veterans and new arrivals, continues to provide the foundation that makes this work possible, testifying to the strength of the Center’s work and reputation. 

Perhaps most inspiring is the energy of our students, including our Belfer Young Leaders. Their curiosity, ambition, and willingness to challenge assumptions fuel our optimism about the future and demonstrate that creativity and determination can forge a path forward—even in uncertain times.  

In the year ahead, our work will deepen across a broad range of issues: navigating great-power competition and regional conflicts, advancing nuclear nonproliferation, and examining the evolving role of alliances. We will also expand our focus on science and technology—addressing the governance of artificial intelligence, the implications of biotechnology, and the protection of critical infrastructure. And we will continue to engage urgent transnational concerns, such as accelerating the transition to sustainable energy, strengthening our resilience to disasters, and supporting democratic institutions. 

From faculty and staff to fellows and students, our community is producing analysis that informs leaders not only in Washington, but also across the United States and abroad. Our audience includes policymakers, business leaders, civil society, and local communities navigating a rapidly changing world. 

As we look ahead, uncertainty remains—but so too does our track record of resilience. The Belfer Center is steadfast in its aim to foster rigorous scholarship and debate, to train tomorrow’s leaders, and to serve as a forum for diverse perspectives on the issues that matter most. 

Whether you are in Cambridge or around the globe, I invite you to join us in this work. We are eager to hear from you and to involve you where possible. We are committed to continuing our work in earnest, just as we have each year since the Center’s founding more than a half-century ago. 

With warm regards, 

Meghan L. O’Sullivan 

Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs 

Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs 

Harvard Kennedy School