About the Institute

An independent institute for an age of transition.

Horizon Search Institute (HSI) studies how institutions and societies adapt when technological, human, planetary, and geopolitical systems change at once, and turns that research into tools, briefings, and convenings leaders can use.

We are independent and nonprofit. Across four connected pillars, Responsible AI, Human Performance, Planetary Futures, and Governance & Diplomacy, we publish original research, build open governance tools any organization can use at no cost, and convene decision-makers in New York, London, and Tokyo.

Leadership

Strategic guidance, disciplined execution.

The Board of Directors holds governance and fiduciary responsibility for the Institute. Executive Leadership directs the Institute’s research agenda and operations. The Strategic Council comprises senior experts who provide advice, perspective, and institutional connections in a non-fiduciary capacity.

Board of Directors

Jeff Sugar, MD
Jeff Sugar, MD
Founding Director. Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and former faculty member at the University of Southern California. Brings clinical and academic expertise to the Human Performance pillar.

Executive Leadership

David Lovejoy
David Lovejoy
Founding Executive Director. Leads HSI's research agenda across responsible AI, human performance, planetary futures, and governance and diplomacy.

Strategic Council

Ratan P. Watal
Ratan P. Watal
Former Finance Secretary of India and Secretary (Expenditure) in the Ministry of Finance; Member Secretary of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and Principal Adviser at NITI Aayog. Chaired the Government of India’s committee on digital payments. Senior advisor on economic policy, digital public infrastructure, and state capacity.
Susan Holliday
Susan Holliday
Global financial services leader and public and private company board director. Senior advisor on governance, board readiness, and institutional risk.
Ramu Damodaran
Ramu Damodaran
Architect of the United Nations Academic Impact initiative under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Senior advisor on institutional design, multilateral governance, and Track II diplomacy.
Vivek Rao
Vivek Rao
Chief Investment Officer of Tempest Peak Management and a public-equities investor; Deputy Chairman of the New Silk Road Forum. Senior advisor on capital markets, technology investment, and global finance.
Isaac Dakota Casados
Isaac Dakota Casados
Sovereign infrastructure and energy advisor with engagements across more than 100 Native Nations on self-determination, economic development, and resilience.
Team

A multidisciplinary network supporting the Institute’s work.

HSI's associates contribute to original research, editorial production, partnerships, and the Institute's public-facing work. They bring backgrounds across journalism, economics, international affairs, law, mathematics, and communications.

Associates

Ashwin Telang
Ashwin Telang
Northwestern University, Journalism and Economics. Co-lead, Governance Horizon Scan. Bylines in The Hill and the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology; research cited in U.S. Treasury work. Incoming summer associate, McKinsey & Company.
Gloria Chen
Gloria Chen
New York University, International Relations. Research and editorial. Freelance writer at the Washington Square News; associate editor, NYU Undergraduate Law Society.
Hernando Liu
Hernando Liu
Northwestern University, Journalism. Research and communications. Background in legislative and legal policy research.
Ronan Amir
Ronan Amir
George Washington University, International Affairs and Mathematics. Editorial Research Assistant, with a focus on the intersection of geopolitics and artificial intelligence.

Additional researchers joining through 2026.

Research Contributors

Project-based collaborators produce byline-credited research alongside the Institute’s associates.

Inaaya Firoz
Inaaya Firoz
Northwestern University, Journalism and Data Science. Research Contributor focused on responsible AI and policy. Buffett Institute Research Fellow and research assistant at the Northwestern Security & AI Lab (NSAIL), focused on deepfake detection. Senior editor at Her Campus Media; staff writer at the Northwestern Business Review and Undergraduate Law Journal.
Oscar Tirabassi
Oscar Tirabassi
The London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc Philosophy and Public Policy; Wesleyan University, BA English. Research Contributor within the Human Performance pillar, focused on how AI impacts authorship and accountability in institutional settings. Prior brand and content experience at EquityMultiple, working within SEC-regulated investor communications.
Gugulethu Khumalo
Gugulethu Khumalo
Boston University Metropolitan College, MS in Health Communication; National University of Science and Technology, BSc (Hons) Journalism and Media Studies. Research Contributor drawing on more than a decade in journalism, media analysis, editing, and multilingual research across Southern Africa. Former media monitor, analyst, and supervisor at Ngalonde Open Media Projects.
Vivianne Manlai
Vivianne Manlai
The London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc Philosophy and Public Policy; Stockholm University, BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Research Contributor focused on AI governance, strategic stability, and emerging-technology risk. Research Assistant with Future Impact Group's Philosophy for Safe AI Programme; former research assistant with SIPRI's AI Governance Programme and Talos AI Governance Fellow.

Alumni

Team members who have completed their time with the Institute and gone on to leading firms and graduate programs. Their work remains part of the Institute's published record.

Cynthia Chen
Cynthia Chen
Georgetown University, Economics (First Honors). Co-led the Governance Horizon Scan; Deputy Blog Editor at The Hoya. Joining Bain & Company.
Mia McCauley
Mia McCauley
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Journalism. Contributed to the Institute’s communications and editorial production. Editor in Chief, Humans of UW–Madison; strategic communications experience in Melbourne and Vienna.
Samantha Orradre
Samantha Orradre
California Polytechnic State University, Economics. Contributed to the Institute’s communications and editorial production. California government reporter at Mustang News; Vice President of the Cal Poly chapter of Her Campus.
Governance & Structure

How the Institute is governed.

Legal Structure

Horizon Search Institute is the registered trade name of HSI Research Foundation, a Delaware nonprofit corporation (EIN 42-1954110) incorporated April 15, 2026. Its application for 501(c)(3) determination is anticipated in 2026. Until then, tax-deductible contributions are received through the Foundation's fiscal sponsor, Fiscal Sponsorship Allies, Inc. (EIN 85-0839183), a 501(c)(3) public charity.

Board Structure

The founding Board of Directors is being seated alongside the Institute's 501(c)(3) filing, with directors joining through a structured process that includes mutual diligence and D&O coverage. The Strategic Council advises the Institute's research agenda and institutional development but holds no governance, voting, supervisory, or fiduciary authority. Operational leadership rests with Executive Leadership.

Editorial Independence

HSI's research is editorially independent. Patrons and funders support the mission and the pillars but do not direct research conclusions, review work before publication, or receive editorial input. The Institute discloses all individual and institutional contributions of $25,000 or more in the HSI Outlook, and reviews and discloses any funding from foreign government or state-linked entities regardless of size.

Engage with the Institute.

Patrons, partners, and prospective researchers are encouraged to begin a conversation.

Become a Founding Patron Explore a Partnership