Perry World House Announces the Return of Dr. Michael C. Horowitz to Penn's Campus
August 20, 2024
By
Perry World House
Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania is delighted to welcome Dr. Michael C. Horowitz, director of Perry World House and Richard Perry professor, back to campus for Fall 2024. Dr. Horowitz had been serving in the Biden Administration as the inaugural deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities, having first joined the U.S. Department of Defense in 2022 to create the Emerging Capabilities Policy Office.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Mike Horowitz back to Penn, and to thank him for his outstanding service at the U.S. Department of Defense,” said Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. “His deep expertise in foreign policy, defense, and international relations has never been more important to our shared understanding of critical world events. And, as we look to the future, his experience with new and emerging technologies—including AI, robotics, biotechnology, and quantum—will be invaluable as he resumes the directorship of Perry World House.”
Dr. Horowitz resumed the leadership of Perry World House on August 14. In addition to his institutional leadership, he will also drive work on security, defense, and emerging technologies. Security is one of the four global policy pillars at Perry World House; the other three pillars are climate change, democracy, and human rights and global justice.
“Mike Horowitz was instrumental in building and leading Perry World House from its inception in 2016 through his appointment at the Pentagon in 2022,” said Ezekiel Emanuel, Penn’s vice provost for global initiatives. “Mike’s appointment to President Biden’s national security team recognized his expertise in defense and emerging technologies. His return to Penn will allow the community to benefit from his knowledge about defense and learn from his expertise in policy development and implementation at the highest levels of the federal government and with U.S. global partners. It will be great for him to be back enlightening the Penn community.”
“I am so pleased to return to Philadelphia after a two-year hiatus at the Pentagon,” said Dr. Horowitz. “It was a tremendous honor to build and lead a fantastic team at the Pentagon, where we worked on many policy issues related to defense, emerging technologies, and international cooperation that were a focus of my research at Perry World House. I am thrilled to be back on campus, where I will apply the policy knowledge and insights I gained from government service to Perry World House and the Penn community as a whole.”
Perry World House’s mission is to bring the academic knowledge of the University of Pennsylvania to bear on some of the world’s most pressing global policy challenges, and to foster policy engagement within and beyond the Penn community. Located at the heart of Penn’s campus, Perry World House connects the global policy world to the expertise of the university’s 12 schools and numerous globally-oriented research centers to develop and advance innovative policy proposals, engage the Penn community, and prepare students to be well-informed, contributing global citizens.
