Resources for Research Scholars

Harvard physics scholars group photo

Dear Research Scholar:

Welcome to the Harvard Physics Department!

This section will address issues pertaining to research personnel, whether you will be an employee, or an unpaid scholar.

The Department of Physics at Harvard University is in the School of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). Although one may be a "member" of the Physics community, in order to have a Harvard ID card (HUID) you need to have a formal appointment in the Department of Physics. All of our Research Scholars may be appointed in one of the following categories:

  • Associate
  • Fellow
  • Junior Fellow
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow
  • Research Associate
  • Research Scientist
  • Visiting Scholar
  • Visiting Undergraduate Research Fellow

The specific title you would have is dependent upon FAS requirements, such as educational background, professional level, and fulfillment of Affirmative Action protocol set by the University (in cases of employee appointments). All such appointments (except Junior Fellow http://www.socfell.fas.harvard.edu/) must be made for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of one year at a time, with reappointment contingent upon continued collaboration and if paid, continued funding.

Each one of these appointments requires that you are affiliated with one or more of our faculty members. Please see our faculty list by research areas. You may wish to contact faculty whose research is closest to your own to obtain affiliation. Since we have scholars who collaborate with faculty who have joint appointments in Physics and other departments/Schools, those scholars are also members of our community. However, everyone needs to have a formal affiliation with a Harvard faculty member to access our site and facilities. Once a faculty member has agreed to collaborate with you, Bonnie Currier, Research Scholar Coordinator in the Physics Department, will be informed so that she can process your appointment and if you are a foreign national, create a file for you at the Harvard International Office (HIO) http://hio.harvard.edu/, so that we can sponsor the appropriate visa for you if you need one.

Please go to our FAQs for information about the appointment process.

Check out our Useful Links for Research Scholars.

Please contact Bonnie for all matters regarding your appointment and visa process. Please do not contact the Harvard personnel office or the HIO, without first contacting Bonnie, as she is the liaison with the appointments office and the HIO. She may be reached at the following address:

Bonnie Currier
Research Scholar Coordinator
Harvard Physics Department
17 Oxford St.
Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Rm. 352
Cambridge, MA 02138
bcurrier@fas.harvard.edu
(Tel): 617.384.9357
(FAX): 617.495.0416