The Rowland Institute at Harvard

The Rowland Institute at Harvard, formerly the Rowland Institute for Science, was founded by Edwin H. Land (founder of Polaroid Corporation) as a nonprofit, privately endowed basic research organization in 1980. The institute merged with Harvard University on July 1, 2002.^[1] The Rowland Institute is dedicated to experimental science across a wide range of disciplines. Research subjects at the institute includes chemistry, physics and biology, and focus on interdisciplinary work and the development of new experimental tools. It was originally located on the Charles River near Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a few miles away from the main campus of Harvard. In 2024, the institute moved to Harvard's main campus, to a newly renovated building at 60 Oxford Street, in shared space with the Harvard Quantum Initiative.^[2]

The Rowland Institute at Harvard

Established	1980
Research type	Experimental science
Director	Andrew Murray
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Operating agency	Harvard University
Website	www.rowland.harvard.edu

Rowland Fellows

The flagship program at the Rowland Institute is the Fellows Program.^[3] The program supports early career experimental scientists.^[4] Rowland Fellows receive funding for salary and research expenses and are allocated their own laboratory space. The Rowland Institute also provides technical support from permanent expert staff. The Fellowship lasts for five years, with continuation past two years contingent on a favorable internal review.^[5]

Notable members and alumni

• Howard Berg - biophysicist noted for his work on the motility of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli)
• Steven Block - pioneered the use of optical tweezers to study step dynamics of kinesin and RNA polymerase on DNA templates
• Colleen Cavanaugh - microbiologist recognized for her studies of hydrothermal vent ecosystems
• Donald A. Glaser - physicist, neurobiologist, and winner of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the bubble chamber
• Jene Golovchenko - physicist noted for his work on materials for whole genome sequencing
• Lene Hau - physicist noted for her work on Bose–Einstein condensate, and ultracold atomic system optics
• Winfield Hill - co-authored the popular text The Art of Electronics with Harvard Physicist Paul Horowitz

Past directors

• Edwin H. Land: 1980 - 1992
• Phil Dubois: 1992 - 1997
• Michael Burns: 1998 - 2002
• Frans Spaepen: 2002 - 2013
• Cynthia Friend: 2013 - 2019
• Andrew Murray: 2020–present