Penn Welcomes General Timothy D. Haugh

Penn Engineering is pleased to announce the appointment of retired Air Force General Timothy D. Haugh as Senior Fellow in the Schlein Center for Cybersecurity and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS). He will also serve as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Perry World House, a Fellow of the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School and a strategic advisor to Penn Medicine.

General Haugh brings to Penn more than three decades of leadership experience at the intersection of cybersecurity, intelligence, national defense and emerging technologies. Throughout his military career, he led organizations responsible for defending critical systems, advancing cyber capabilities, and integrating intelligence with operational decision-making in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Most recently, he served as Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service, where he oversaw global cyber operations, signals intelligence and the protection of critical networks.

“Penn prizes the distinctive strengths that military service members bring to our campus and missions,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “General Haugh’s experience at the highest levels of leadership, his expertise at the front lines of technology, security and policy, and his ethos of service will prove invaluable here as we prepare students to lead in a rapidly changing world. His Pennsylvania roots run deep, and we are proud to welcome him to the Penn community.”

Cybersecurity is vital to nearly every aspect of modern society, from healthcare, finance, energy, education and transportation to scientific research, national security and the technologies that power daily life. It is essential that universities advance the fundamental research needed to stay ahead of rapidly evolving cyber threats while educating the technical leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs who will build and protect the digital systems of the future.

“General Haugh has spent his career at the forefront of cybersecurity, AI and national defense during a period of extraordinary technological change,” says Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering. “His experience leading some of the nation’s most consequential cyber organizations, combined with his commitment to developing future leaders, will be an extraordinary asset to our students, faculty and the broader Penn community.”

At Penn Engineering, General Haugh will inform strategic research priorities and help to prepare the next generation of leaders to address challenges in securing digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, critical systems and emerging technologies. He will also teach courses in Penn Engineering and Penn Arts & Sciences, contributing to an interdisciplinary curriculum addressing artificial intelligence, cyber-enabled infrastructure, cybersecurity governance and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Through the Schlein Center for Cybersecurity, General Haugh will collaborate with faculty and students across disciplines to strengthen research, foster dialogue between academia and practitioners, and explore the technical, strategic and policy dimensions of cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity is a problem that arises from technology, but it is not just a technical problem: Real solutions must balance both operational and business needs with security needs, and be informed by — and inform — law and policy,” says Michael Hicks, Cecilia Fitler Moore Professor in Computer and Information Science and Director of the Schlein Center for Cybersecurity. “General Haugh’s wide-ranging experiences at the highest levels have given him unique insights that our faculty and students will greatly value.”

General Haugh’s additional appointments at Perry World House and the Wharton School reflect the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity, which spans engineering, public policy, international affairs, business and organizational leadership. Together, these roles will help deepen collaboration across the University while connecting Penn’s research and educational programs with real-world challenges facing governments, industry and society.

At Perry World House, General Haugh will have the opportunity to chair policy workshops that bring together senior U.S. government officials, industry leaders and Penn faculty, drawing upon Penn Engineering research, Wharton market expertise and social science scholarship from Penn Arts & Sciences to inform national discussions on artificial intelligence governance and cyber resilience.

“General Haugh has had an exemplary career in national security and intelligence, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Penn in an official capacity,” says Perry World House Faculty Director Michael C. Horowitz. “His on-the-ground experience with the changing nature of global threats makes him an asset to the Penn community as we educate and develop the next generation of global leaders. We are delighted to have him join the University.”

As a Fellow of Wharton’s Aresty Institute, General Haugh will teach in Executive Education engagements in Wharton’s Open Enrollment and Custom programs within his areas of expertise in cybersecurity, technology policy and government cybersecurity.

“Today’s leaders are expected to make high-stakes decisions in an environment where strategy, technology and risk are increasingly intertwined,” says Erika James, Dean of the Wharton School. “General Haugh’s extraordinary experience and valuable insights will strengthen our ability to equip executives with the judgement needed to navigate the complex challenges of our time.”

As a strategic advisor to Penn Medicine on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, General Haugh will provide high-level guidance on securing critical health system infrastructure and on the ethical and responsible implementation of artificial intelligence in patient care and medical research.

“As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, cybersecurity and the responsible use of artificial intelligence are essential to advancing our missions of patient care, research and education,” said Jonathan A. Epstein, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “General Haugh’s experience will bring valuable perspective to Penn Medicine as we continue to navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by these rapidly evolving technologies.”