My career spanned a lengthy period as a scientist and research and academic administrator in the fields of physical sciences and engineering. This is summarized in my 2005 biography which is attached. In 2005 I intended to step down as Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). I agreed to stay on as Dean for another 3 years to shepherd the transition of DEAS to a School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) . I articulated a vision for the School[VN1]  at a FAS faculty meeting on May16th 2006 . The transition to the school was ratified by the FAS faculty on December 06, 2006, and approved by the Harvard Corporation in February 2007. The school was formally launched on September 20, 2007.

The creation of a school of engineering at Harvard was an important milestone in my career. It was also the year I was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. After. stepping down as dean in the fall of 2008 and a sabbatical year of reflection and planning for engaging in my final chapter of education and research at the interface of science, technology, public policy and the larger society. Concurrently with my appointments in SEAS and FAS I took on a joint appointment with the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). I also took on the responsibility of directing the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program (STPP) at HKS’ Belfer Center from 2009-2015, succeeding John Holdren when he was named science advisor to President Obama.

In 2021, I became an emeritus professor of technology and public policy, engineering and applied sciences and physics at Harvard. I continue to reflect and write and work on S&T policy and governance of scientific institutions.

In reflections on matters of research leadership and governance, I have been fortunate in being associated with great institutions like Bell Labs, National Labs (Sandia) and then at UCSB and Harvard. Bell Labs whose roots can be traced to Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, and his vision…” leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods, you will find something you have never seen before” and his bust at the labs’ entrance were a clarion call. When Bell Labs deputed me to serve as vice president of research at Sandia national lab, I wrote a farewell piece on nurturing the novel neocortex bell labs news .

Other significant milestones was the recognition of the impact of my tenure as dean of the college of engineering was by the Santa Barbara community for my efforts to build an entrepreneurial culture and the subsequent creation of the Technology and Management Program and the endowment of The Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti Chair in computer science at UCSB.

In May 2009, I was honored to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Tohoku University during the plenary meeting of the World Premier International Research Center- Advanced Institute of Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) and where I gave a plenary lecture[VN2].

During my stint (2009-2015) as STPP director I consulted with colleagues and articulated a strategic plan for STPP Final June 2009. Major activities which came to fruition included recommendations for energy technology innovation to address issues of climate change, an emerging program in Cyber Policy with an emphasis on privacy and security, and the need for a national science and technology policy to eliminate barriers between so- called “basic” and “applied” research. During this period, I was also active on the S&T policy scene through my service on the National Research Council (NRC) which I served ex-officio as the foreign secretary of the NAE. I also was elected to the Council and Board of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2018 I received the NAE Website – 2018 Arthur M. Bueche Award Recipient “For seminal contributions to condensed matter physics and visionary leadership of multidisciplinary research in industry, academia, and national labs that generated research and engineering advances.”

In 2024 my book with Jeff Tsao; “Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions” was translated into Chinese and a you tube presentation. See also: The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions