Perry World House Announces 2025-26 Distinguished Visiting Fellows

Perry World House (PWH) – the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global affairs – is pleased to announce its 2025-26 cohort of distinguished visiting fellows. Over the course of the year, these scholars and policy practitioners will visit Penn’s campus and engage with students, staff, faculty, and other members of the PWH community on some of the most pressing global issues in the areas of climate change, democracy, global justice and human rights, and security. These distinguished leaders represent NGOs, media, education, government, and the private sector, and their presence on campus helps PWH toward its goal of bridging the academic and policy divide.  

“The Distinguished Visiting Fellows Program began as a way to bring some of the biggest and most influential names in global policymaking to Perry World House and Penn so that we could begin to integrate our ideas into their work and vice versa,” said PWH Faculty Director Michael C. Horowitz. “Over time, the program has continued this trajectory and solidified Perry World House’s place on the global stage, bringing us to the Munich Security Conference, the annual COP, and policy gatherings in New York and Washington, DC, on the sidelines of major multilateral convenings.”

Since 2016, Perry World House’s Visitors Program has brought internationally renowned global policy leaders, scholars, and practitioners to Philadelphia to engage with the Penn community and the public. As part of their time on campus, visitors provide input to academic research, participate in conferences and workshops, guest lecture in classes, and meet with Penn students to discuss both critical foreign policy issues as well as career paths and development. They brief faculty on their work and relevant global developments, from global conflicts to the landscape of climate vulnerability to emerging defense technologies, while also taking part in public programming that allows Perry World House to reach key stakeholders worldwide. 

“We are delighted to welcome such a knowledgeable and accomplished group of experts to this year’s Distinguished Visiting Fellows cohort,” said PWH Executive Director Marie Harf. “Their presence on campus and at our events around the world are truly one of the most important pieces of what we do at Perry World House. Their willingness to share their expertise and experiences with PWH and Penn students, faculty, staff, and our broader community—and their interest in learning from these groups as well—­embodies what it means to bring the world to Penn and Penn to the world.”