September 19, 2025
Talking Points: Summer/Fall 2025
The latest news on teacher training initiatives, the Harvard Horizons symposium, the appointment of a new dean of students, and award-winning PhD student research.
A Transformation in Teacher Training
Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Professor Karen Thornber, PhD '06, celebrated her first year as Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning on July 1. Described by FAS Dean Hopi Hoekstra as "a global scholar, an innovative and passionate teacher, and an experienced academic leader," Thornber leads the Bok Center's work with faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, and postdocs, to identify and implement the most effective, evidence-based practice strategies for transformational teaching and learning in today's rapidly changing educational environment.
Along those lines, Thornber has overseen a pilot of required teacher training with almost all of the nearly 200 instructional staff for the undergraduate Program in General Education. In line with the priorities of the 2023 Final Report from the GSAS Admissions and Graduate Education (GAGE) Working Group, Thornber says the Bok Center's goal is to train and support all graduate student teachers in the months and years ahead. "Right now, only about 10 to 20 percent of new graduate student teaching fellows in the FAS receive any training at all," she says. "Our goal is that, starting in the fall of 2025, all new TFs assigned to FAS courses will receive training. That's 500 to 600 students. We'll introduce the basics of teaching, the nuts and bolts, and then build on toward more advanced skills. By fall 2026, we'll scale up so that we are training any graduate student teaching in the FAS. It will be a huge transformation."
Read more here.
Cutting Drug Costs, Embracing Aging, Demystifying AI—and More
Eight of Harvard Griffin GSAS's brightest PhD students presented their research to a rapt crowd at Sanders Theatre last April during the annual Harvard Horizons symposium. Their work ranged from innovations in chemistry that could dramatically lower the cost of producing many pharmaceuticals, to lessons on aging gracefully gleaned from the work of three Slavic women poets. Now in its 12th year, the Harvard Horizons program provides in-depth mentoring on the art of effective presentation and offers scholars opportunities for long-lasting community, mentorship, and professional and academic growth.
Watch the 2025 Harvard Horizons Symposium.
Clark Is New Dean of Students
On March 24, Dr. Lakshmi Clark joined Harvard Griffin GSAS as dean of students. Formerly the senior director of student affairs at Harvard Law School, Clark brings decades of experience in higher education to her new role, including many years serving students with disabilities at New York University. "Over the course of the interview process, I was impressed by Lakshmi's dedication to the full student experience through thoughtful planning and proven strategic leadership, and I am looking forward to our work together," wrote Dean Emma Dench in a letter to the Harvard Griffin GSAS community announcing the appointment. As a new member of the School's senior leadership team, Clark says she looks forward to "strategically engaging students at various points during their program" to "make substantial improvements in their overall experience."
Read an interview with Dean Clark here.
Deming Named College Dean
Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Graduate School of Education Professor David Deming, PhD '10, was named Danoff Dean of Harvard College in May. A nationally recognized scholar at the intersection of education, labor markets, and economic inequality, Deming has held multiple leadership roles during his time at Harvard, serving as director of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the Kennedy School and as the School's academic dean. Announcing his appointment, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra called Deming "an inspiring academic leader," who is "uniquely well-suited to lead the College at this consequential moment in Harvard's history." Harvard President Alan M. Garber, PhD '82, called Deming "a stellar researcher, a great educator, a beloved faculty dean, and a role model to students and faculty alike." He began his new role July 1.
Read the complete announcement.
Chen Wins Weintraub
Xi Dawn Chen, a PhD student in Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and the Program in Systems was named a recipient of the 2025 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award in March. Presented by the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, the award recognizes outstanding achievement and exceptional research in the biological sciences. Chen received the award for her contributions to the understanding of gene editing and its potential applications in medicine—specifically, her research on the development of an innovative gene-editing tool known as Helicase-Assisted Continuous Editing (HACE). "I hope that the tools I'm developing now will contribute to a future where we can precisely control gene expression to treat previously untreatable conditions," she says. "I want to help create diagnostics and therapeutics that lead to better health for everyone."
Hear Chen explain her research on the Colloquy podcast.
Photos by Tony Rinaldo and courtesy of Harvard University
