When did you know you would be a scientist?

I figured from an early age I would become an artist because my parents are both artists. In high school, however, I got interested in science when I had a wonderful chemistry teacher. At the same time, my older brother was studying physics at MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. On a visit home, he told me I would never succeed in physics and definitely not at MIT. His challenge spurred me to get accepted in physics at MIT.

Was Bell Labs, where you worked for a while, really a scientific Shangri-La?

Yes, for a couple of reasons. First, no one was allowed to build an empire. Nobody had a huge workforce, so we had to collaborate. Second, we were simply focused on doing the best science. If an exciting discovery in physics was made someplace in the world, you could expect 25 people at Bell Labs to drop what they were doing to work day and night on the new subject. It was all self-assembling. No one organized these responses.

Do you think physics has suffered in recent years without a creative entity like Bell Labs?

I think, in the United States, physics has suffered from lack of funding. The actual amount of funding for fundamental physics, in real dollars accounting for inflation, has decreased. It does a disservice to the field. Obviously you want to spend federal money wisely and be transparent, but Congress increasingly wants to control exactly what scientists can study. It's hard to fund good science that way. Scientists have to have some flexibility.

Do you think your science has suffered or benefited from your work as an administrator?

I know some people see management as paper pushing, but it doesn't have to be. My management experience gave me a new perspective on different areas of science and made me a better scientist as a result.

What motivated your move to Harvard?

This is a career opportunity of a lifetime. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is exceptional. Even though it is small, it is full of excellent people who work well in interdisciplinary teams. In its efforts to strengthen three core areas — bioengineering, information science, and applied materials and physics for device engineering — Harvard plans to better connect the sciences to the professional schools. With these goals driving the science, I want to forge collaborations that will build on a broad base of knowledge and produce a new class of Renaissance engineers rooted in good science.

What is the secret of scientific success, in your opinion?

Humility. I think success comes from a combination of hard work and realizing that you don't understand something.