Vivek Kundra, the U.S. Chief Information Officer for the past two and a half years, will be stepping down from his role to serve a joint fellowship at Harvard University this fall.

Kundra was appointed as the United States CIO by President Obama in March 2009. Along with bulking up cybersecurity and curbing wasteful spending, some of Kundra's notable IT projects include the Federal IT Dashboard, a website that tracks federal information technology investments, his development of the government's first cloud computing policy and App.Gov, where federal agencies can subscribe to IT services.

According to Harvard, in his new role Kundra will split his time between the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School and the university's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

"Our government and its citizens are invariably connected through a vast and complex technology infrastructure rife with opportunities as well as risks," said Kundra. "The work that I dedicated myself to while serving as the Federal CIO – in cutting waste, strengthening cybersecurity, and building an open and transparent government through technology – will also drive my research interests on both the national and international levels at the Shorenstein Center and the Berkman Center at Harvard."

"We are excited to welcome Vivek Kundra to Harvard," said Alex Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center. "His extensive background in information technology, strategy and government operations will provide a valuable new lens through which to examine many of the important issues that the center is committed to exploring." 

In addition to carrying out independent research at the Berkman Center, Kundra will also collaborate with the Center in its research activities in the areas of cloud computing, open data, and open government. At the Shorenstein Center, Kundra's research will focus on the implications of digital media and technology on governance.

"We are delighted that Vivek Kundra will be joining the Berkman Center community," said Urs Gasser, executive director of the Berkman Center. "We look forward to working closely with him on cutting edge issues where the complexities of cloud computing intersect with law, institutions and data."