'Beautiful Braniac' to Join HLS

A leading constitutional theorist who was once named the “Most Beautiful Brainiac” by New York Magazine has accepted an offer to join Harvard Law School’s faculty next fall, the school announced yesterday.

Noah R. Feldman ’92, a law professor at New York University, is best known for his expertise in constitutional law and writings on foreign affairs. He has gained prominence in recent years for his essays in The New York Times Magazine and for advising the Coalition Provisional Authority on designing the Iraqi constitution. He was a visiting professor at the Law School in 2004-2005.

“He’s a really interesting scholar and has great practical experience on some of the most important issues facing the world,” said Professor of Law David J. Barron ’89, a former Crimson president. “He also does intensive work in the religious clauses, which has been a hugely important issue for a number of years.”

In addition to legal theory and the intersection of law and religion, Feldman has written widely on American foreign policy, democracy in Islamic nations, and nation building.

Professors said yesterday that his interest in international issues would strengthen Harvard’s faculty.

“Feldman’s addition greatly strengthens an already exceptionally distinguished faculty in domestic, foreign, and comparative constitutional law, and helps to globalize the reach of our collective expertise,” Loeb University Professor Laurence H. Tribe ’62 said, adding that Feldman is an “accomplished and highly original scholar.”

Barron noted that Feldman’s hiring comes on the heels of “another comparative constitutionalist”—Cromwell Professor of Law Mark V. Tushnet ’67, who was hired last year.

Although Feldman has never been a permanent professor at Harvard, his ties to the University run deep. He is a native Cantabrigian and served as a junior fellow in the Society of Fellows from 1998 to 2001 after finishing a Rhodes Scholarship and a degree from Yale Law School.

His wife, Jeannie C. Y. Suk, became an assistant professor at the Law School this year, and the two were married in 1999 at the Harvard Club of New York, according to The New York Times. Presiding at their ceremony was Harold H. Koh ’75, who is now the dean of Yale Law School and a member of Harvard’s Board of Overseers.

Law School Dean Elena Kagan called Feldman “one of the stars of his generation” and praised him for the breadth of his research in a statement yesterday.

“From his on-the-ground knowledge of lawmaking in Iraq to his historical research on religious freedom in the United States, his range is as wide as any in the legal academy,” Kagan said. Feldman could not be reached for comment yesterday.

For months, rumors have swirled that Harvard had made a full-time offer to Feldman. As the Law School has become more active in the lateral hiring market, it has used visiting professorships to woo and assess promising scholars.

Professors of Law Daryl J. Levinson ’90 and Adrian Vermeule ’90, both of whom were visiting professors the same year as Feldman, have also accepted permanent offers in the last year.

—Staff writer Paras D. Bhayani can be reached at pbhayani@fas.harvard.edu.