Horizon’s 2024 Year in Review

Horizon exists to bridge the gap between the worlds of emerging technology and policy. Breakthroughs in 2024 affirmed how profoundly innovation reshapes society and the importance of technology policy. The year saw rapid advancements across multimodal AI, including more sophisticated reasoning capabilities in large language models, alongside breakthroughs in AI-powered robotics. Self-driving cars logged several million miles on the road, with Waymo announcing plans to expand to 10 major cities in 2025. The FDA approved the first CRISPR-based gene therapy. SpaceX demonstrated rocket reusability with a first-ever midair rocket catch. These and many other milestones have cemented emerging technology’s place at the top of the policy agenda, elevating issues ranging from biotechnology supply chains to domestic semiconductor capacity and military applications of AI.

Amid this transformation, Horizon’s mission to support the next generation of emerging technology policy talent is as critical as it’s ever been. The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing new technologies, crafting policies to harness their benefits and mitigate their risks. Yet policy institutions have struggled to find and retain people with the relevant experience and expertise. Horizon exists to address this critical shortage by connecting policy institutions with emerging technology experts passionate about public service.

Horizon pursues its mission through a suite of programs that connect hiring managers with the talent they need and equip practitioners with the skills and opportunities required for a transition to policy work. In 2024, we scaled our work across all program areas, ranging from online support to in-person events and fellowship placements, reaching tens of thousands of users and facilitating dozens of career transitions. We also nearly doubled our organizational capacity, laying the groundwork for continued growth in 2025 to meet the ever-growing demand for technical capacity in policy and government.

Career support at scale

Since launching in November 2023, our career resource emergingtechpolicy.org has evolved into a comprehensive guide for aspiring public servants in technology policy. In 2024, we more than doubled the site’s content—now exceeding three books’ worth of content across many dozens of guides—covering pathways into policy, US policy institutions, specific policy areas, and tips and resources for individuals exploring emerging technology policy. Recent additions include:

• Working in the Intelligence Community (IC)
• Fellowship guides on the Google Public Policy Fellowship, TechCongress, and AAAS S&T Fellowship
• Resource guide on China and tech policy
• In-depth primers on state-level and multilateral policy careers
• Overviews of biosecurity and AI policy offices in the executive branch

Most importantly, we’ve witnessed real impact: last year, the website was visited by more than 40,000 individuals, and many users have reported discovering and securing policy roles through our resources.

Beyond sharing career resources and guidance, emergingtechpolicy.org helps us connect with readers directly. Through our policy career support interest form, we conducted over 300 one-on-one advising calls with technology experts pursuing policy careers and connected them with over 100 policy experts to serve as advisors and mentors.

Thousands have now subscribed to Horizon updates, events, and services. Based on information gathered through interest forms and advising calls, we send tailored notifications for dozens of job, internship, and fellowship listings annually to more than 6,000 recipients, promoting critical pathway programs like the McCain Fellowship, the Wilson Center’s AI Lab, and the Presidential Innovation Fellowship. 

Events and workshops

Horizon also connects technical experts with experienced policymakers through DC-based and virtual events and workshops designed to demystify policy careers. Breaking into policy can be challenging without existing connections. Our events help bridge this gap by addressing key uncertainties about public service and providing insights into the emerging technology policy landscape, networking opportunities, and actionable career advice. 

To name just a few examples: Horizon hosted its third annual emerging tech policy summer webinar series over the summer, in partnership with the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, Policy Entrepreneurs Network, and Texas A&M’s Scowcroft Institute, attracting a record 800 registrants. The series included 14 interactive sessions designed to help attendees explore routes into public service and featured more than 30 distinguished speakers, including CISA Director Jen Easterly, Texas A&M Associate Dean Dr. Gerry Parker, and RAND President Jason Matheny. 

In October, we partnered with the Brown University Pandemic Center to host our second annual Game Changers Biosecurity Policy Workshop in DC. The three-day event connected over 40 professionals exploring transitions into biosecurity policy with more than 20 policy experts from federal agencies, NGOs, and Congress. Attendees explored public service pathways and topics in AI and biosecurity through hands-on exercises, small-group discussions, and panels, including with OPPR Director Maj. Gen. (ret) Paul Friedrichs and NSCEB Vice Chair Dr. Michelle Rozo.

Horizon also partnered with TechToGov to support the first AI hiring fair focused on bringing more technical talent into government. Co-sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management and featured in a White House update, the virtual hiring forum attracted over 1,700 registrants from all 50 states. More than 100 representatives from federal and state agencies participated, including the Departments of Homeland Security and Veteran Affairs. 

Career transitions through fellowships

The Horizon Fellowship facilitates full-time placements for subject-matter experts in emerging technology. In 2024, we selected and trained a new cohort of Horizon Fellows to serve across federal agencies, congressional offices, and think tanks, providing critical boosts to host organizations’ technical capacity. Placements fellows started in 2024 included: 

• Victoria Anderson, the Office of Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
• Thomas Kelly, House Energy & Commerce Committee, Majority Staff
• Genevieve Rogers, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness
• Jack Titus, Department of Energy’s Office of Critical & Emerging Technologies and Office of Policy
• Ashley Nagel, the Office of Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)
• Temi Ibitoye, Brown University Pandemic Center
• Willy Chertman, Institute for Progress

For most fellows, the Horizon Fellowship is only the beginning of their contributions to emerging technology policy. Of Horizon’s 29 fellowship alumni thus far, more than 90% have transitioned to full-time roles in policy and government after their fellowship ended. Fellows who completed the program in 2024 and continued in policy included:

• Grace Park, Policy Advisor, Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office 
• Jess Rogers, Senior Advisor for Arms Control & Nonproliferation Treaties, Department of Defense
• Ben Snyder, Program Aide, Pandemic & Biosecurity Policy at the Scowcroft Institute 
• Lisa Einstein, Chief AI Officer, Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
• Zeena Nissar, Lead Policy Advisor, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology

We continue to see much more demand for talent than we are able to meet, with placement demand and offers to fellows far exceeding the number of fellowship spots available. As a result, we’re thrilled to have accepted our biggest class of incoming fellows at the end of 2024. This cohort will be undergoing training in early 2025, in advance of placements starting in spring and summer. 

Growing the organization

With over 40,000 website visitors, 300+ advising calls, record event attendance, and 90% of fellow alumni continuing in policy roles, our program growth this year demonstrated a clear and growing demand for pathways into public service. To support our expanded impact and prepare for future growth, Horizon nearly doubled its organizational capacity in 2024, welcoming five new members to the team:

• Katarina Watney: Katarina joined Horizon as our new Director of Fellowships. As a former Horizon Fellow at the Department of Health and Human Services, Katarina brings first-hand experience with government and our programs.
• Abigail Hoskin: Abigail joined Horizon as Director of Talent Strategy. She previously served as a career advisor to students, academics, and mid-career professionals interested in having a positive social impact with their careers, herself having transitioned into the field after obtaining a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Princeton University.
• Trinity Smith: Trinity joined Horizon as a Senior Research Associate to support content development for emergingtechpolicy.org. She previously worked in the Texas state legislature, in the Texas Governor’s Office, and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 
• Zachary Thomas: Zachary joined Horizon as a Senior Program Associate to support operations across all programs. He previously worked in operations roles at several early-stage nonprofits, where he provided administrative support and helped to scale their programs. 
• Krystin Borgognone: Krystin serves as a part-time Career Coach for Horizon, advising emerging technology experts on transitioning into policy careers. With more than a decade of experience at the Department of State, Krystin also serves as Government Career Coach at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she advises students on navigating the public sector workforce.

Looking forward to 2025

Early 2025 has already seen significant developments in the technology landscape: China’s DeepSeek disrupted the global AI market and heightened attention on export control policy; US companies released new models, including OpenAI’s autonomously web-browsing Deep Research and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet; and President Trump’s Executive Order on American Leadership in AI, signed on his third day in office, signaled the administration’s early focus of emerging technology issues.

Horizon enters its third year poised for significant growth. We’re excited to facilitate placements for our largest fellowship cohort yet, host new workshops, expand our policy career resources, build AI-supported products to scale our advising and hiring support work, and experiment with additional ways to reach experts in emerging technology interested in policy work. 

None of our work would be possible without the generous support of our partners and supporters. We’re deeply grateful for their shared commitment to our vision of technically informed policymaking. To support Horizon’s mission of bringing technical expertise into government, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Your contribution will help us further scale our programs and support more talented individuals in their transition to public service.

If you’re interested in exploring a career in policy, we invite you to fill out our career support interest form for policy opportunity notifications. If you are at an agency, congressional office, or think tank and interested in hosting a Horizon fellow, please learn more here and connect with us here. We can’t wait to work with you.