Climate Change Announcing the Perry World House and Penn Global Climate & Security Policy Fellows Program and Inaugural Cohort

Perry World House and Penn Global are excited to announce the launch of the Perry World House and Penn Global Climate & Security Policy Fellows Program, along with the inaugural cohort of students. This program is supported by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York with the goal of connecting Penn graduate students with the global policy community.
 
“Launching the Perry World House and Penn Global Climate & Security Policy Fellows Program is an important step forward in cultivating the next generation of leaders in policymaking and international affairs,” said Amy Gadsden, associate vice provost for global initiatives. “This program enables emerging scholars to consider, if not pursue, career paths outside of academia and apply their research and expertise to influence policy decisions.”
 
The new program is designed to equip graduate students with the skills needed to qualify for and be successful in careers in policymaking at the national and global levels, especially within the U.S. government, multilateral institutions, and international and global civil society. The inaugural cohort will focus their work on climate change and its implications for international security.

Nine graduate students from five Penn schools were selected for the inaugural cohort. Selected students are completing degrees in political science, environmental studies and science, behavioral and decision sciences, neuroscience, chemistry, city and regional planning, and business administration. The inaugural cohort includes:

• Mayesha Ahmed, School of Arts and Sciences

• Meruyert Bizhanova, Graduate School of Education

• Robert Levinthal, Weitzman School of Design

• Shrey Mehta, School of Arts and Sciences

• Arushi Saxena, School of Arts and Sciences

• Kyliah Terry, School of Arts and Sciences

• Catalina Udani, School of Arts and Sciences

• Sophia Villiere, Perelman School of Medicine

• Jacy Zhou, Wharton

“We’ve chosen an exceptional group to pilot the program,” said Scott Moore, Penn Global’s director of China programs and strategic initiatives, who will be leading the new initiative. “In meeting with each of the students over the summer, I was struck not only by the range of backgrounds and disciplines represented but also the many ways they envision contributing to public service, from pursuing careers in diplomacy and the United Nations to social entrepreneurship to civil society and advocacy. I’m excited to see what this group will accomplish throughout the program and am particularly inspired by their interest in working on climate change solutions.”
 
Over the next year, students will travel to Washington D.C. and New York to learn about diverse public service opportunities and concrete pathways to pursue them. They will meet with various agencies and officials, participate in workshops and events, and complete relevant coursework, fieldwork, and internships. Students will also develop translation projects such as policy briefs, podcasts, and multimedia outputs.
 
“The Climate & Security Global Policy Fellows Program fills a critical role in graduate education at Penn,” said Marie Harf, executive director of Perry World House. “It helps Penn students think about global issues through a policy-relevant lens and teaches them to frame problems and solutions in ways that policymakers can utilize. I can think of no better issues to start this program with than those at the intersection of climate change and international security.”
 
Penn Global is the University of Pennsylvania’s go-to for all things global. Its mission is to bring the world to Penn and Penn to the world, leveraging its extensive expertise to advise the University on its global activities. Comprised of seven divisions including Perry World House, Penn Global collaborates with Penn’s schools, centers, communities, and partners to deliver a comprehensive suite of global programs that generate positive impact around the world.
 
Perry World House is a center for scholarly inquiry, teaching, research, international exchange, policy engagement, and public outreach on pressing global issues. Perry World House’s mission is to bring the academic knowledge of the University of Pennsylvania to bear on the world’s most pressing global policy challenges and to foster international policy engagement within and beyond the Penn community. The Carnegie Corporation of New York has been a crucial partner to Perry World House since 2017.