Michael D. Smith

John H. Finley, Jr. Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Mike Smith’s leadership of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences has been characterized by a deep commitment to undergraduate teaching, to a tenure-track system, and to research, both fundamental and applied. Since the start of his deanship in July 2007, he has emphasized robust academic planning and priority setting, which has fundamentally changed the way the FAS allocates its resources and prepares the Faculty to meet future challenges and opportunities. This shift has allowed the FAS to maintain the unparalleled excellence of its programs, while weathering the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression.

A member of the Faculty since 1992, Smith is known for his innovative work on computing systems, particularly on issues involving a detailed knowledge of both the hardware and software in these sophisticated systems. Smith’s research interests include dynamic optimization, machine-specific and profile-driven compilation, high-performance computer architecture, and practical applications of security. He is also a leading figure in a range of interdisciplinary activities that explore the interplay of technology with other fields, from the life sciences to economics to philosophy to law.

In 2001, Smith co-founded the data security company Liquid Machines Inc., whose enterprise rights management products gave companies the ability to easily control and manage access to valuable documents and other digital assets. In June 2010, Liquid Machines was acquired by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., an Israeli Internet and data security company best known for its ZoneAlarm firewall software.

Smith received a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University in 1983, an M.S. in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1985, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1993. He began at Harvard in 1992 as an instructor and rose through the tenure-track ranks. In 1994 he received a prestigious National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award, and in 1999 the Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching.