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Richard Wrangham and Elizabeth Ross Appointed Co-House Masters of Currier House
Cambridge, MA - March 5, 2008 - Richard Wrangham and Elizabeth Ross have been appointed Co-House Masters of Currier House, beginning July 1, 2008 for the 2008-2009 academic year. Shahram Khoshbin and Laura Khoshbin have served as Interim Co-House Masters of Currier House in 2007-2008.
Richard Wrangham is Ruth Moore Professor of Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and a Harvard College Professor. He received his B.A. from Oxford University and his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty in 1989, he was on the faculty of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Wrangham is widely regarded as a leading researcher in primate behavior and human evolution, and has taught classes on the evolution of human nature, primate behavior and the biology of aggression. He is the founder and director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and is a trustee of the Jane Goodall Institute, the Co-Chair of the Great Ape World Heritage Species Project and the President of the International Primatalogical Society.
Elizabeth Ross is the Executive Director of the Kasiisi Project, a non-profit that she founded in 1997 to provide educational support to primary schools in western Uganda. Through their work, new buildings, classrooms, libraries, staff housing and latrines have been built, and the group also provides scholarships for secondary school students, grants and training for teachers, health education and sanitary supplies to adolescent girls and school lunches. The education of over 4,000 children in five schools is supported by the project, and today, Kasiisi Primary School, the first school targeted by the project, ranks 3rd out of 140 rural schools in its district. She received her B.S. in biological sciences and her Ph. D. in Immunology from Edinburgh University.
Richard and Elizabeth have three children, and currently live in Weston, MA.
"I welcome Richard and Elizabeth to their new role as Co-House Masters of Currier House, and I thank the Khoshbins for their able leadership this year and for their combined service of over four decades to Harvard students," says David Pilbeam, Dean of Harvard College. "The House system is the cornerstone of the undergraduate experience at Harvard, and the exemplary people affiliated with all of the Houses ensure that these vital communities continue to foster both intellectual and personal growth."
Prior to their year as Interim House Masters, Shahram Khoshbin, M.D. and Laura Khoshbin, J.D. were devoted Tutors-in-Residence at Currier House. For over 10 years, Laura was a member of the Currier House Pre-Law Advisory Committee, the majority as Chair. Shah served as the Chair of the Currier House Pre-Medical Advisory Committee for over 30 years, and in that capacity advised thousands of future physicians. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School and Laura is a senior attorney in the Office of General Counsel for Partners HealthCare System, Inc.
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