Seminars & Workshops

Our Exploratory Seminars and Academic Ventures Workshops convene Harvard faculty, scholars, artists, and experts from across the world for intensive periods of work over one to three days to investigate new scholarly and research endeavors in a private setting.

Exploratory Seminars

As an Exploratory Seminars participant, you will pursue early-stage research questions. The format encourages scholars and researchers to take intellectual risks while working in a congenial environment with colleagues from their own or other fields. 

You can apply online to lead a seminar if you are a tenured or tenure-track professor at Harvard or are a current or former Radcliffe Institute fellow. With our budgetary and logistical support, you can bring together colleagues from across the University and around the world to the neutral ground at the Radcliffe Institute to explore innovative research.

Exploratory Seminar results have included new scholarly directions, publications, cross-disciplinary partnerships, recommendations for implementation of improved policies and procedures, and successful grant applications.

Topics explored include:

• a new literary history of America;
• rapid urbanization and the environment; and
• the obesity and diabetes epidemic. 

Apply to lead a seminar.

Workshops

Workshops bring together faculty from different disciplines and schools at Harvard University with colleagues from other institutions. These programs expand scholarly and research endeavors that are already beyond the stage of initial investigation.  

Topics are designed by Institute faculty associates through discussions with or proposals from Harvard faculty members.

Topics explored include:

• cybersecurity;
• preventing school violence;
• a national digital library; and 
• the politics and practice of comparative effectiveness research.

If you are a faculty member interested in proposing an Academic Ventures Workshop, please contact one of the faculty associates or Rebecca Wassarman, Director of Academic Ventures at rebecca_wassarman@radcliffe.harvard.edu