Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
 The Belfer Center is located within the Harvard Kennedy School | |
| Formation | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Type | Think tank |
| Headquarters | 79 John F. Kennedy Street |
| Location |
|
Director | Graham T. Allison |
| Website | www.belfercenter.org |
The Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (also known as the Belfer Center) is a permanent research center located within the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The center's current director is political scientist Graham T. Allison, former dean of the Kennedy School.
Belfer was founded in 1973[1] by biochemist Paul M. Doty as the 'Program for Science and International Affairs' within Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences[2] to provide analysis on arms control and nuclear threat reduction. Following a grant from the Ford Foundation, the program was re-established as the Center for Science and International Affairs, becoming the first permanent research center at the newly formed School of Government. In 1997, following further endowment, the center was renamed as the Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in honor of Robert A. Belfer, founder of Belco Oil & Gas Corporation.
In 2012, the Stanton Foundation provided funds for a paid Wikipedian in residence at the Belfer Center. This became controversial due to links between the Belfer Center and the Stanton Foundation (the directors of each are a married couple) and public concerns about conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia.[3] The center is organized into subgroups with specific areas of focus; for example, an energy technology innovation policy group led by Laura Diaz Anadon.[4][5]
Board members
Center board members include:
- Lewis M. Branscomb, Professor emeritus of Public Policy and Corporate Management
- Albert Carnesale, former Harvard University provost
- Ashton B. Carter, Chair of International Relations, Security & Science faculty, physicist, who served as the 25th United States Secretary of Defense
- John M. Deutch, former Director of Central Intelligence
- John P. Holdren, John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy
- Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor
Advisory board
The center has a large international advisory board. Members include:
- Robert Blackwill, former United States NSC Deputy for Iraq
- Gregory C. Carr, Boston Technology founder
- Tim Collins, Ripplewood Holdings founder
- Oleg Deripaska, UC RUSAL chairman
- Tom Foley, Trilateral Commission chairman
- Steven J. Green, former U.S. Ambassador
- Jahangir Hajiyev, Chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan
- Nathaniel Rothschild, Atticus Capital co-chairman
- James Schlesinger, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Paul Volcker, former United States Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Past notable members
- Stephen Biddle, theorist setting U.S. counterinsurgency policy
References
- ↑ Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (BCSIA), International Relations and Security Network (ISN), Zurich
- ↑ Bryan Marquard & staff, Obituary: "Paul Doty, 91, presidential adviser on nuclear arms control", Boston Globe, 6 December 2011
- ↑ Tim Sampson (14 April 2014). "One of Wikimedia's largest donors accused in paid editing scandal". The Daily Dot.
- ↑ Science News Staff (17 October 2011). "Super Science Suggestions: House Panel Lays Out Spending Preferences". Science Magazine. Retrieved Sep 14, 2014.
...Laura Diaz Anadon, a chemical engineer and director of the energy technology innovation policy group at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government....
- ↑ Jesse Jenkins (April 6, 2013). "Energy Facts: How Much Water Does Fracking for Shale Gas Consume?". The Energy Collective. Retrieved Sep 14, 2014.
...how much water does shale gas consume per unit of energy produced...a 2010 paper by ...Laura Diaz Anadon... of Harvard’s Belfer Center has data on exactly that question ...