Political Science professor Michael Horowitz has been appointed director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor.
Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett announced the appointment on Feb. 25. Horowitz has served as interim director of PWH since July 2019 and will succeed PWH’s founding director, Penn Law professor William Burke-White.
Horowitz said that PWH will continue to explore a wide breadth of topics through its diverse speakers.
"One of the things that excites me is that Perry World House can be a place where we have both Susan Rice talking about American national security and the vice president of Ecuador talking about biodiversity and climate change," Horowitz said. "We can have both those kinds of conversations and that's something that we're going to continue to prioritize."
Horowitz has taught at Penn since 2007 and served as associate director of PWH from 2015 to 2019. Horowitz's research interests include technology and global politics, military innovation, and the role of leaders in international politics.
His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and popular media including The New York Times and Politico. Horowitz is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a consultant to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
He received the Karl Deutsch Award in 2017, an award presented annually by The International Studies Association to a scholar under the age of 40 who has made the most significant contribution to the study of international relations and peace research through a body of publications.
"Penn being a global university will play a critical role in shaping the way that I lead," Horowitz said. "Perry World House isn't just about my own research or anybody's research in particular. It's a venue and a hub for global policy engagement."
“To lead Perry World House, we searched for an accomplished scholar in the study of global and international issues,” Gutmann told Penn Today. “We also sought someone with a distinct vision for global policy and a robust network of global academics and policy makers to help see that vision through to implementation. In Mike, we get both.”
Pritchett told Penn Today that Horowitz is the ideal leader to chart the future of PWH.
“He has been central to its mission from the beginning, galvanizing dialogue and research to address the most critical global challenges," Pritchett said.
Horowitz earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University in 2000 and his Ph.D. in government from Harvard University in 2007.
Founded in 2015, PWH is a center for international exchange and public outreach on pressing global issues that aims to foster international policy engagement within the Penn community.
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to continue building Perry World House and making it a place that is welcoming and inclusive for the Penn community," Horowitz said.
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