Professor John Palfrey
John Palfrey is Henry N. Ess Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resourcesat Harvard Law School. He is the co-author of "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives" (Basic Books, 2008) and "Access Denied: The Practice and Politics of Internet Filtering" (MIT Press, 2008). His research and teaching is focused on Internet law, intellectual property, and international law. He practiced intellectual property and corporate law at the law firm of Ropes & Gray. He is a faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Outside of Harvard Law School, he is a Venture Executive at Highland Capital Partners and serves on the board of several technology companies and non-profits. John served as a special assistant at the US EPA during the Clinton Administration. He is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School.
2012 Research Assistant Reflections:
This semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to work for Professor John Palfrey and his team of researchers. Professor Palfrey authored a book earlier this year, and I was charged with writing blog entries on a variety of subjects related to his book and editing case studies which formed the backbone of his project. Even though I had little knowledge of interoperability going into the research, Professor Palfrey and his assistants provided helpful guidance on how to become a better writer and researcher. I came away from the research with a better understanding of interoperability, which surprisingly tied into many fields that I was interested. I am grateful that I had the chance to work for Professor Palfrey and hope to maintain my interest in interoperability issues in the future.
-Younghoon Moon ‘14
I value the degree to which Professor Palfrey and his research team at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society have been accessible and engaging. I am constantly in touch with several members of the research team at the Berkman Center, and they are always willing to help if we have any difficulties investigating the various cases to which we are assigned. Moreover, the degree of flexibility in the research work is fantastic; the broad nature of the interoperability studies and the various applications of interoperability to the world around us have enabled me to work on case studies that I find particularly interesting. In fact, the team has even encouraged me to develop a case study of my own. Overall, the research assistantship has gone incredibly well so far.
-Rajiv Tarigopula ‘14