Science, Technology, and Public Policy

CAMBRIDGE MA – Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has convened the inaugural meeting of The Council on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a new effort to address critical questions about this far-reaching and rapidly evolving application for data and technology.  

Professor Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti is the Benjamin Peirce Research Professor of Technology and Public Policy at Harvard University, former dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and former director of the Belfer Center's Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program. The award is one of the highest honors given by the National Academy of Engineering, and recognizes an engineer who has shown dedication in science and technology as well as active involvement in determining U.S. science and technology policy.

Our colleague Calestous Juma—who passed away on December 15 at age 64 after a long illness—was a pioneering, prolific, and influential scholar/practitioner in science and technology policy for sustainable well-being. He joined Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) in 1999 as Director of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Project (a joint venture of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Center for International Development) and became Professor of the Practice of International Development in 2002, a position in which he maintained his exceptional productivity and engagement with policy, despite illness, up to the time of his death.

Postdoctoral Fellow Ben Buchanan was interviewed by Alyza Sebanius for The Atlantic on June 28, 2017. In his new book, The Cybersecurity Dilemma, Dr. Buchanan argues that the line between offensive and defensive attacks is far from clear.

A new report from Bloomberg this week reveals that Russian cyberattackers were much more involved in the US presidential election than previously publicized. CNN reached out to Michael Sulmeyer, director of the Belfer Center's Cyber Security Project for his take on what the Bloomberg report reveals about the deeper vulnerabilities in our electoral system.

Cyber Security Project Director, Michael Sulmeyer discusses Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential elections following the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on foreign cyber threats to the United States.

Melissa Hathaway participated in the European Security Forum's Cyber Security Conference 2016 in Krakow Poland. This conference is one of just a few regular public policy conferences devoted to the strategic issues of cyberspace and cybersecurity in Europe. She presented key elements of the Cyber Readiness Index 2.0 and discussed areas for better private-public cooperation.

"...[W]hen I think about what it takes for a national cybersecurity strategy and the future of sustainable development, it is not just the digital agenda; it is an overall balanced agenda that has security components, and security and resilience at its core."

Michael Sulmeyer, director of the Belfer Center's Cyber Security Project, discusses the U.S. government's efforts to defend against cyber threats in the context of the legal battle between the FBI and Apple over its encryption methods.