Rakesh Khurana

Rakesh Khurana, serving as the Danoff Dean of Harvard College since 2014, has established himself as a preeminent authority in organizational behavior and leadership development. After earning his B.S. from Cornell University and Ph.D. through a joint program between Harvard Business School and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1998, he has built an extraordinary career spanning academic leadership and groundbreaking research. As the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School and Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, his research has revolutionized understanding of elite selection processes and leadership development. His influential works include "Searching for a Corporate Savior" and "From Higher Aims to Hired Hands," the latter winning the American Sociological Association's Max Weber Book Award in 2008. While serving as Faculty Dean of Cabot House with his wife Stephanie Ralston Khurana, he has deeply influenced undergraduate education at Harvard. His contributions to leadership studies include co-editing seminal texts like "The Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice" and "The Handbook for Teaching Leadership." Prior to his academic career, he worked as a founding member of Cambridge Technology Partners, bringing practical business experience to his scholarly work. His current research examines global leadership and the impact of transnational networks on institutional leadership, while continuing to shape Harvard's undergraduate experience through his role as College Dean.