Since coming to Penn in 2018, one of my major responsibilities has been to re-envision the way the University supports globally-oriented research and engagement. This effort, which has grown into a $15 million project portfolio with >$1 million in annual grantmaking includes prioritizing work that is inter-disciplinary and that addresses common global challenges, including climate change, public health, and emerging technologies; instituting key performance indicators across grant programs to better measure impact; and creating new opportunities for students, alumni, and external partnerships.

Working with colleagues across the university, I was able to create opportunities for students and fellow faculty members to participate in multilateral policy fora like the Convention on Biological Diversity. I also lead Penn's university-wide, interdisciplinary engagement in the UNFCCC conferences. This work included securing Blue Zone pavilion space for Penn at COP-28 in Dubai and coordinating nearly two-dozen events involving over 20 Penn affiliates. I personally participated in several panel discussions including two focused on climate security featuring senior U.S. government officials.

Working closely with development colleagues, I formulated a successful initial funding proposal to create a new experiential learning program that responded to changing student interest in study abroad designed to expose students to critical issues facing China and the world. The Initiative is based around courses in each of Penn's four undergraduate schools (Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Nursing, and Wharton) featuring intensive, short-duration travel experiences to China. Topics include sustainability (which I also taught), emerging technology, and health.

While there are many programs that are designed to help academics translate their work for policymakers, my own background and experience convinced me of the need for a program that equips academics to pursue public service careers that allow them to apply their expertise in government, multilateral institutions, and other non-academic fields. This Program is designed to do just that.

Thanks to an exceptionally generous gift $5 million gift to support engagement with the African continent and issues related to Africa, the Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund creates new opportunities to strengthen Penn’s Africa-focused global activities. In my view, this is an exciting and unique opportunity to strengthen African studies and engagement with African partners.

Penn’s At-Risk Scholars Program aims to enhance the University's teaching, research, and service missions through providing opportunities for scholars, journalists, public intellectuals, and other individuals whose backgrounds equip them to contribute to academic communities but whose lives are threatened by conflict or natural disaster. The Program has so far welcomed scholars from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela, several of which have gone on to forge careers in the United States.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Penn community, like many others, suffered a surge in violence and harassment towards people of Asian background. As a member of this task force, we worked with colleagues across the University and our wider community to combat anti-Asian racism, including through a campaign called FlattenTheHate.

A high-level strategic policy advisory effort jointly conducted between the World Bank and China’s Development Research Center, this project involved a wide-ranging evaluation of China’s water sector and produced several key recommendations for reform to address future challenges, including climate change. It involved the coordination of multiple research teams, including approximately 50 people in total, across the globe.

One of my responsibilities during my time at State was to strengthen diplomatic engagement with China on the protection of Antarctica’s Ross Sea, one of the world’s last ocean wildernesses. This involved coordination and collaboration with a wide range of US government agencies and entities as well as diplomatic counterparts. My colleagues, in particular in the Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, did the heavy lifting, but I’m proud to have played a small part in the eventual creation of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.