Department of Biology, Harvard University

Administrative / Biographical History
During this period Pontecorvo was still unhappy with his salary and condition of employment at Glasgow and, was also in the process of applying for the Chair of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. The discussions in the correspondence below show that he took quite a long time to make a decision about Harvard and consulted a lot of friends and colleagues for advice. He seemed to be tempted by the lifestyle there but unsure about how the move would affect his family and whether or not he would receive support and funding for research. By September 1958, nine months after his first discussions with McGeorge Bundy, he had decided to refuse the offer of a job at the Biology Department at Harvard and stay in Glasgow.
At the same time Pontecorvo was considering moving to Cambridge to the become Professor of Genetics there. He often mentions developments and progress with the Cambridge application in his letters about Harvard below.
Arrangement
Within each bundle the correspondence has remained in the original order.
Related Material
- Letter from Pontecorvo to the Principal discussing his possible move to Harvard, UGC 198/2/2/3/10;
- University of Cambridge Chair of Genetics correspondence, UGC198/2/2/11

Administrative / Biographical History