Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences


The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is the engineering school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and applied sciences. Previously the Lawrence Scientific School and then the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School assumed its current structure in 2007. Francis J. Doyle III has been the School's dean since 2015.
In 2020 and 2021, SEAS will expand into the new Science and Engineering Complex in Allston, across the Charles River from the main campus of Harvard. The SEC will be adjacent to the Enterprise Research Campus in synergy with Harvard Business School and Harvard Innovation Labs.
Recent investments have enlarged the School's faculty and upgraded its facilities. In 2019, Harvard was ranked third worldwide for Engineering and Technology by Times Higher Education. The School has produced numerous research discoveries and many distinguished alumni.

History

The formation of the Lawrence Scientific School in 1847 marked Harvard's first major effort to provide a formal, advanced education in science and engineering.
The school was named for Massachusetts industrialist and entrepreneur Abbott Lawrence, who donated $50,000 to create the institution. While he did not attend Harvard, he had a long personal history with key faculty members such as Louis Agassiz and understood the value of science and engineering. In the letter that accompanied his gift, Lawrence explained his rationale for forming a school:
James Emmanuel Jr. was the first dean and the early School hosted astronomers, architects, naturalists, engineers, mathematicians, and even philosophers.
The School's initial success did not escape the notice of other institutions, leading William Greenleaf Eliot, president of Eliot Seminary to declare in 1854:
By the late 19th century, the School faced increasing competition from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was constrained by the uncertain views about its role and status by the long-serving Harvard President Charles William Eliot. Eliot was involved in at least five unsuccessful attempts to absorb MIT into Harvard. As a result of such uncertainty, the Lawrence Scientific School became less of an independent entity, losing its influence and students to other parts of College and University.
In 1891, industrialist Gordon McKay designated the Lawrence Scientific School his beneficiary. In 1906, before the first payment from his bequest, Lawrence's scientific and engineering programs were incorporated into Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The School ceased to exist as an independent entity. Today, McKay's gift supports over 40 endowed professorships.
In 1914, a merger of MIT and Harvard's Applied Science departments was formally announced
and was to begin "when the Institute will occupy its splendid new buildings in Cambridge." However, in 1917, the merger with MIT was canceled due to a decision by the State Judicial Court, so Harvard President Abbott Lawrence Lowell moved to establish the Harvard Engineering School independently instead.
In 1934, the School began offering graduate-level and professional programs in engineering. During World War II, Harvard participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program to provide training for commissioned officers. In 1942, the undergraduate Department of Engineering Sciences changed to the Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics to reflect an increased emphasis on applied physics. Harvard President James Bryant Conant created what was known as "Conant's Arsenal," a research hub for defense-related engineering projects including radar jamming, night vision, aerial photography, sonar, explosives, napalm, and atomic bomb research. One notable project from this era was the Harvard Mark I computer; one of the first programs to run on the Mark I was initiated on March 29, 1944 by John von Neumann, who worked on the Manhattan Project at the time, and needed to determine whether implosion was a viable choice to detonate the atomic bomb that would be used a year later. The Mark I also computed and printed mathematical tables, which had been the initial goal of British inventor Charles Babbage for his "analytical engine."
By 1945, Harvard income from government contracts was $33.5 million, the third highest among U.S. universities. Between 1946 and 1949, the Graduate School of Engineering merged its faculty with the Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics into the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences within the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
In 2007, the Harvard Corporation and Overseers voted for the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences to change its name to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In 2015, Francis J. Doyle III, former director of the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, was appointed dean. That year, the school was also renamed the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences following a $400 million gift by Harvard Business School alumnus John A. Paulson.

Academic overview

Undergraduates can pursue programs in computer science, engineering sciences, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, environmental science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and applied mathematics. SB options for environmental science and engineering as well as biomedical engineering are also available through the engineering sciences program; ABET accreditation is offered for all of the traditional engineering disciplines. Prospective undergraduates must apply to Harvard College : once enrolled, Harvard College students may declare a SEAS concentration in their sophomore year.
At the graduate level, the School offers master's and PhD degrees in areas including applied mathematics, applied physics, bioengineering, data science, chemical engineering, computational science and engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, design engineering, applied computation, environmental science and engineering, as well as materials science and mechanical engineering. In addition, graduate students may pursue collaborative options such as Medical Engineering and Medical Physics and Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology.
As of January 2020, the School had 148 faculty members. The faculty has particularly close ties with the FAS departments of Physics, Earth and Planetary Science, as well as Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The campus provides of interconnected labs, classrooms, clusters, and offices in six buildings. In 2020 and 2021, SEAS is expected to expand into the new Science and Engineering Complex in Allston, across the Charles River from Harvard's main location in Cambridge. The SEC will be adjacent to the Enterprise Research Campus in synergy with Harvard Business School and Harvard Innovation Labs to encourage technology- and life science-focused startups as well as collaborations with mature companies.
Areas of significant research focus include applied mathematics, applied physics, bioengineering, geophysics, computer science, electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and computational neuroscience.

Research highlights

Early 20th century