Perry World House Announces 2026-27 Distinguished Visiting Fellows

September 17, 2026

Perry World House (PWH) – the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global affairs – is pleased to announce its 2026-27 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 is a key way we achieve one of our most important primary institutional goals, which is connecting the academic research being done at Penn with the global policymaking community,” said PWH Faculty Director Michael C. Horowitz. “Over the years, we have been honored to welcome visitors that include global leaders in government, academia, and non-governmental organizations. In our tenth anniversary year, we are thrilled to welcome this amazing cohort!”

For ten years—since Perry World House opened its doors in 2016—the PWH Distinguished Visitors Program has brought internationally-renowned global policy leaders, scholars, and practitioners to Philadelphia to engage with the Penn community. Throughout their fellowships, they are able to contribute to Penn’s academic research through meetings with faculty, participation in conferences and workshops, guest lectures in classes, and meetings with Penn students. They also contribute to PWH’s public programming as speakers, moderators, and thought leaders, and help Penn and PWH expand their global reach. 

“We are delighted to host an esteemed group of visitors over the course of the academic year,” said PWH Executive Director Marie Harf. “We are grateful to our visitors for sharing their time and expertise with our community, and we are always happy to hear how much they gain from their time on campus. Our visitors are part of what makes Perry World House such a unique and invaluable institution.”

This year’s distinguished visiting fellows are:

  • Sally Box, Head of International Climate Negotiations Division, Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; Australia’s Head of Delegation to the UNFCCC
  • Laura Chinchilla Miranda, Former President, Costa Rica
  • Dalia Dassa Kaye, Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative for Regional Security Architectures, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations
  • Ibrahim Gambari, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria
  • Stephen Hammer, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Penn Institute for Urban Research, and Perry World House; Former CEO, New York Climate Exchange
  • Tirana Hassan, CEO, Médecins Sans Frontières
  • Timothy Haugh, Former Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency; Senior Fellow, Schlein Center for Cybersecurity, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Perry World House, Fellow, Aresty Institute of Executive Education, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • Jeremy Konyndyk, President, Refugees International
  • Aditi Kumar, Former Principal Deputy Director, Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Department of Defense
  • Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian Human Rights Lawyer
  • Sivendra Michael, Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Republic of Fiji
  • Dunja Mijatović, Former Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe; Former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
  • Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, Prime Minister, Republic of Fiji
  • Christine Wormuth, President and CEO, Nuclear Threat Initiative; Former U.S. Secretary of the Army