
Radcliffe Institute
For Advanced Study
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—known as Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration. We bring students, scholars, artists, and practitioners together to pursue curiosity-driven research, expand human understanding, and grapple with questions that demand insight from across disciplines.

How Roe Got to Be Roe
Schlesinger Library holdings document long, pitched dispute over abortion in archival documents, photos, letters, voices of women. In October 2022, the Schlesinger Library hosted an exhibition titled The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America, with an eponymous conference following in January 2023.
By the Numbers

Harvard Radcliffe Institute Announces 2023–2024 Fellows
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program offers scholars in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts—as well as writers, journalists, and other distinguished professionals—a rare chance to pursue ambitious projects for a full year in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting amid the resources of Harvard. The 2023–2024 worldwide cohort brings an array of projects, from exploring the far reaches of space to saving rare frogs.

Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery
The report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery documents the University’s ties to slavery—direct, financial, and intellectual—and offers seven recommendations that will guide the work of reckoning and repair now beginning.
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The Russian-Ukraine War has immensely amplified the risk of weapons of mass destruction—chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE)—in the region. This Accelerator Workshop at Harvard Radcliffe Institute reviewed and rethought emergency response protocols for medical professionals and—without precedent—training programs for civilians conducted during an active war. The Workshop charted a path forward in building CBRNE, disaster, and emergency management capacity strategies and policies for Ukraine. This model will be developed for application in other countries to address the growing threat of CBRNE weapons worldwide. In the photo, from left to right: Jonathan Strong, Harvard Medical School; Timothy Erickson, Harvard Medical School & Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Wardah Amir, Special Assistant, US Dept. of State; Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, US Dept. of State; Irini Albanti, Executive Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Donell Harvin, Visiting Scientist, HSPH & Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; and Lea Sinno, Project Associate, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

Barbie—the pink-loving, convertible driving, career woman—was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler. Ruth named the doll for her daughter, Barbara, and two years after Barbie's release, Ken followed, named for her son, Kenneth. When Ruth died in 2002, her husband Elliot donated her papers—a collection of photos, letters, article clippings, fan mail, and more—to the Schlesinger Library at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Are you going to see "Barbie" this weekend? 💕 #TheBarbieMovie #BarbieTheMovie Images: Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
As we close out Pride Month, we turn to Jennifer Finney Boylan, an author, a trans activist, and Radcliffe’s 2022–2023 Marilyn Beaudry-Corbett Schlesinger Fellow. For Boylan, love was a guiding force during transition—and it continues to influence her work. Love is woven through her Radcliffe project, a follow-up to her best-selling 2003 memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders. The book will examine her life over the past 60 years through the lens of manhood and womanhood—something she brings a unique perspective to, having lived as both a man and a woman. Visit the latest issue of Radcliffe Magazine (link in our bio) to learn more about Boylan’s experience, perspective, and contributions to writing and trans-rights activism. #pridemonth #pride #transpride #writing #memoir