Huchra Will Oversee Research Policy

University Provost Steven E. Hyman last week named Doyle Professor of Cosmology John P. Huchra vice-provost for research policy, a new position designed to help ensure compliance with governmental policy.

Huchra will be responsible for coordinating Harvard’s adherence to federal research laws—including those pertaining to work on stem cells and human subjects—and planning the science spaces in Harvard’s future Allston campus.

“Part of the job on the compliance side...will be that we follow the...state and federal guidelines on one hand, and on the other hand have enough input into those guidelines so that our researchers [can] do what they need to do,” Huchra said.

Hyman said the research policy position is particularly relevant now.

“Because of new federal laws and regulations, the most pressing [concern] was the area of research policy,” Hyman told The Crimson last month in reference to the new positions, which include Huchra’s, that have been created in the Provost’s office.

The position of vice-provost for research policy is one of three vice-provost positions recommended in a report by McKinsey & Company to ease the burden on the small staff of the Provost’s office.

The two other positions are vice-provost posts for international affairs and faculty diversity and development. Both positions will be filled by current Faculty members. The University has said it will fill the faculty diversity and development position—described in the recently-released reports of the task forces on women faculty—by September.

Although other schools—including Johns Hopkins University and MIT—have vice-provost positions to oversee research, the position has no direct precedent at Harvard.

“Harvard has never had a vice-provost for research or research policy before,” Huchra said. “My job is that of a facilitator.”

Huchra said he plans to spend 75 percent of his time in the Provost’s office and the other 25 percent teaching and continuing to pursue his research on observational cosmology and the distribution of matter in the universe.

“I make maps, except my maps are three-dimensional and usually go out to a million light years,” he said. “The goal of that research is really to understand something about the cosmological model.”

Huchra said he also hopes to serve as a bridge between University administrators and faculty members who have criticized the administration for centralizing authority and lacking transparency in its communications.

“I think part of the reason that I’ve been offered the job is because I have roots in the faculty,” Huchra said. “I’m hoping to actually remove some of that tension so that we can get work done.”

“It’s hard work, getting around to talk to everybody and making sure everyone who needs to know does know,” he added. “Communication is key. More transparency is essential, especially if we’re going to move forward.”

—May Habib contributed to the reporting of this story. —Staff writer Sara E. Polsky can be reached at polsky@fas.harvard.edu.