Greg Leppert

Greg Leppert is the Executive Director of the Institutional Data Initiative at Harvard and also serves as the Director of Product and Research at the Library Innovation Lab.12 With over two decades of experience in startups, Leppert now focuses on incubating an institution-wide AI initiative at Harvard and directing research aimed at applying library principles like knowledge provenance, veracity, and access to new technologies.13

Professional Background

Current Roles::

• Executive Director, Institutional Data Initiative at Harvard
• Director of Product and Research, Library Innovation Lab (since March 2023)
• Affiliate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University (since 2014)

Previous Experience::

• Co-founder of Matter (September 2021 - April 2023)
• Founding Partner of Onym, a naming agency (since 2017)
• Infrastructure Engineering at Electric Objects (2015 - 2016)

Education and Expertise

Leppert's background includes studies in design before transitioning to engineering. His diverse experience spans various industries and roles, including:

• Working in the music industry
• Selling a company to eBay
• Founding a naming consultancy
• Designing a gold record
• Developing interfaces for data analysis
• Working in a historic letterpress studio

Research and Interests

At Harvard, Leppert's work focuses on:

• Incubating an institution-wide AI initiative
• Directing research on applying library principles to new technologies
• Exploring issues related to knowledge provenance, veracity, and access in the context of emerging technologies

Leppert is known for his belief that most people want to do good in the world and are simply looking for the right way to go about it.2