I thought I was settling in for good—growing old in the bowels of Gotham. I’ve written about how deeply I love this city (and always will) and even left a perfectly good job to carve out a place here. But 165 days can change everything. Life rarely sticks to the script. With all the unraveling, I decided to accept an endowed chair professorship at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), based at their campus in Bologna, Italy. The position begins in January 2026.

This was not an easy decision, and I am acutely aware that I am in a privileged position, having the choice to leave. Columbia has been an important chapter in my life, and I’ve deeply valued being part of the Climate School and the broader university community. The team I’ve worked with on the Food for Humanity Initiative is extraordinary, and I’ll miss seeing them every day. Ultimately, it has become increasingly complex to pursue the kind of work I care most about—at the intersection of food, equity, and climate—within the U.S.

In some ways, this move feels like a return home—back to the Hopkins community—but in a new context. I’ll be based full-time in Bologna, focusing on research and teaching. I had to jump through some hoops, including reinstating my tenure. When everything was signed, sealed, and delivered, President Daniels wrote to me, "The universe unfolds as it should" (a quote from the poem "Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann). Indeed. I suppose this is about finding one’s inherent and natural order amidst the complexities and challenges of life, trusting that everything is happening in its own time and way. I am appreciative of the entire SAIS famiglia for welcoming me back into their universe, and I hope to stay connected to all the amazing Columbia colleagues who continue to press onward.

It won’t be easy to leave New York. But leaving the U.S. feels less difficult. So—goodbye to all that.

I leave you with this lovely tune from Sadurn. Just finding the little beauties among the wreckage.