News

Expert thinkers and doers are always critically important in public policy, and given the remarkable speed of change and the complexity of challenges that we as a society face, the need for dedicated, passionate and well-trained public servants has never been clearer. New LBJ students have answered the call to service in a tremendous way. This incoming class includes more than 250 new master's degree students and nine Ph.D. students.

Award-winning author, filmmaker and The University of Texas at Austin research scientist Raj Patel, with co-author and physician Dr.

LBJ alumna Alejandra Castillo's nomination for assistant secretary for economic development at the Department of Commerce was approved, moving closer to a full Senate confirmation. Castillo, a '98 graduate, received the LBJ School's highest alumni honor in 2020. 

The University of Texas at Austin has named JR DeShazo as the next dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. DeShazo’s appointment begins Sept. 10, 2021.

Josh Busby, an associate professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs, has joined the Biden administration as a senior advisor for climate in the U.S. Department of Defense. He will spend a year working on climate change and national security at the Pentagon, where he will be involved in the Biden administration's prioritization of climate change including the National Defense Strategy.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded a team led by LBJ School Professor of Public Affairs Sheila Olmstead a $850,000 grant to study the economics of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). The three-year project is a unique collaboration between social science scholars at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Wyoming, supported by physical science experts at UT's Bureau of Economic Geology. It will not only develop and complete four projects on the economics of CCUS, but will also create an interdisciplinary research network to engage further study.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs and The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at The University of Texas at Austin explored the history and honored the legacy of Juneteenth with the inaugural Juneteenth Freedom Summit on June 19, 2021.

The sixth cohort of graduate students in the LBJ School of Public Affairs's unique and accelerated DC Concentration have begun their Policy Apprenticeships and coursework in Washington, DC.

A new policy paper by the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin maps current and prospective hot spots of climate-related security concerns around the world. Prepared for the Social Science Research Council as part of a wider report for the United Nations Environment Programme, the paper attempts to help security and humanitarian organizations concentrate resources and attention.

A study released today in the journal JAMA Network Open documents the reasons American women report for pursuing self-managed medication abortions to terminate pregnancies.