Director's Message

October 2025

Warm greetings from the Peter F. Cowhey Center on Global Transformation (CCGT) at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS).

Now in our 19th year, CCGT continues to thrive as a hub for bold ideas and groundbreaking research on the economic, political and technological forces transforming our world. 

The Global Leadership Fellows program remains at the heart of our work. Each year, we welcome dynamic leaders from business, policy communities and academia to share their expertise on issues ranging from combating climate change to the role of philanthropy in funding scientific research and global public health, and the Indo-Pacific’s evolving economy, including India’s rise as a manufacturing powerhouse. Their visits spark collaboration and thought-provoking dialogue across campus and beyond.

Our flagship initiatives — the Wavemaker Lab, SDG Policy Initiative and Frontiers in Science and Innovation Policy Initiative (FSIP) — continue to push the boundaries of research with real-world impact. 

Led by Liz Lyons and now in its second year, the Wavemaker Lab — created to foster early-stage ventures and innovation training at GPS — celebrated a milestone as ChakraTech, a lab-incubated startup, won the top prize for advanced startups in the university-wide Triton Sustainability Challenge. And we thank the mentorship council, led by CCGT Fellow Don Rosenberg, for their work in nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.

The SDG Policy Initiative, under the helm of Gordon McCord, continues to drive evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future by leading projects such as the San Diego’s Climate Action Plan and a new Baja sustainability dashboard.

FSIP, which aims to understand economic and political factors that shape scientific innovation in the U.S., collaborated with the Science Philanthropy Alliance to produce the Science Philanthropy Indicators Report 2025, as well as several articles and commentaries on the state of America's leadership in innovation. I thank Robert Conn and Peter Cowhey for helping lead the charge with me.

This year, we also provided seed funding for faculty projects addressing drivers of innovation and how inflation affects different households in different ways. In addition, we hosted the American Economic Association mentoring conference designed to bring together early-career economists and senior mentors for panels, workshops and networking.

Finally, student engagement remains a cornerstone of our mission. Through financial aid and summer fellowships, we empower GPS students to apply their skills to real-world challenges in economic growth, equality and sustainability.

We’re deeply grateful to our supporters, including the Jacobs family, our faculty, staff, and global community of fellows and collaborators. Together, we’re shaping ideas that transform policy and the world.

Joshua Graff Zivin
Director, Peter F. Cowhey Center on Global Transformation