Academic center · Science policy · Cambridge, Massachusetts (Harvard Science and Engineering Complex · Est. 2021
The Harvard Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence is a Harvard University academic research institute focused on understanding intelligence across natural (biological) and artificial (machine) systems, with the stated goal of advancing intelligence research and developing solutions to complex problems for humanity’s benefit. It is led by faculty co-directors Sham Kakade and Bernardo Sabatini, with Elise Porter serving as Executive Director.
The institute emphasizes interdisciplinary work spanning machine learning, neuroscience, cognitive science, and related fields, and it supports research with a dedicated high-performance computing platform (“the Kempner AI Cluster”). The institute also runs education and training programs for students at multiple levels, including fellowships and undergraduate research opportunities, and it has an internal grant program (“Kempner Institute Accelerator Awards”) that provides access to Kempner cluster resources for Harvard faculty projects aligned with the institute’s mission. Strategically, the Kempner Institute’s differentiator is its combination of (1) cross-disciplinary research themes centered on intelligence, (2) large-scale, dedicated academic computing infrastructure for training/testing/iterating on AI models, and (3) education programs and internal award mechanisms that route trainees and faculty into compute-enabled intelligence research across Harvard.
No curated programs yet. Check the careers page ↗.
Allston, MA — State-of-the-art AI systems can make connections across vast amounts of data and are increasingly capable of tackling some of the most complex problems of our time. Yet […]
Kempner Institute Welcomes Fall 2026 Undergraduate Researchers - Kempner InstituteCambridge, MA – The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard is excited to announce the fall 2026 recipients of the Kempner Undergraduate Research Experience […]
Announcing the Moise Y. Safra Collaborative Research Award at the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence - Kempner InstituteCambridge, MA– The Kempner Institute at Harvard University is pleased to announce the Moise Y. Safra Collaborative Research Award at the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial […]
Kempner Institute Announces 2026-27 Kempner Seminar Series Lineup - Kempner InstituteCambridge, MA— The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University today announced the speakers for the 2026-27 Kempner Seminar Series, a research-level seminar series […]
Kempner Institute Celebrates Outgoing Research Fellows David Clark and Binxu Wang - Kempner InstituteResearch Fellows David Clark and Binxu Wang will conclude their time at the Kempner Institute this month after making significant contributions to the Institute’s exploration of intelligence through research into […]
Kempner Institute Celebrates the Work of Research Fellows Wilka Carvalho, T. Anderson Keller, and Gabriel Poesia - Kempner InstituteAs Kempner Institute Research Fellows Wilka Carvalho, T. Anderson (Andy) Keller, and Gabriel Poesia conclude their fellowships this month, the Institute bids farewell to three scholars whose work has helped […]
Building an Economy of AI Minds - Kempner InstituteMany artificial intelligence systems work like solitary assistants. A human user gives an AI model a problem, and the model plans, reasons, and produces an answer on its own. But […]
A Smartphone Navigation App for People with Blindness and Low Vision - Kempner InstituteFor the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University
AI Framework Decodes How Brain Regions Talk to One Another - Kempner InstituteFor the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University
Kempner Institute Announces Newest Accelerator Award Recipients - Kempner InstituteThe Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Kempner Institute Accelerator Awards, a grant program […]
Kempner Institute Announces Recipients of 2026 Graduate Fellowships - Kempner InstituteCambridge, MA — The Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence today announced the names of 16 students chosen as the incoming 2026 cohort of Kempner graduate […]
Nada Amin Sitan Chen Appointed Kempner Institute Associate Faculty MembersThe institute announced recognition for three research fellows and noted next steps as the fellows move to subsequent career roles.
Building an Economy of AI MindsThe institute published a news post about work framed around an “economy of AI minds,” describing a system where AI agents coordinate using market-like rules.
AI Framework Decodes How Brain Regions Talk to One AnotherThe institute announced a new AI framework intended to decode interactions among brain regions.
Kempner Institute Announces Recipients of 2026 Graduate FellowshipsThe institute announced the recipients of its 2026 Graduate Fellowships and described the fellowship cohort size and composition across Harvard graduate programs.
Nada Amin, Sitan Chen Appointed Kempner Institute Associate Faculty MembersThe institute announced the appointments of Nada Amin and Sitan Chen as Kempner Institute Associate Faculty members.
Kempner Institute Announces Newest Accelerator Award RecipientsThe institute announced recipients of the 2026 Kempner Institute Accelerator Awards, describing that the awards commenced in June 2026 and would support computational research projects using Kempner AI Cluster resources.