I am a lawyer from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, with a master’s in administration and Public Policy from the Universidad de San Andrés. I was Director of Industrial Policy Application for the Ministry of Productive Development of Argentina for four years. In that capacity, I supervised and managed tax benefits for capital goods manufacturers, including suppliers for Oil & Gas.
With a Fulbright Scholarship, I was accepted at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), to do a Master of Public Affairs in 2020, with a focus on technological innovation, economic development, and finance. As I began to work on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence as a community expert for the World Economic Forum, I had met with scholars from the IAPGH who introduced me to the support from the institution.
After talking with Guillermo Hitters about my work with programs that encourage innovation in Industry 4.0 and AI for O&G suppliers, I applied for the scholarship. I had a delightful experience of discussing with the scholarship committee on the renewable energy and the use of AI in the field.
With the help of IAPGH, I was able to focus on my study and work within UT, without having to worry about paying tuition in my second year in school. AT LBJ School of Public Affairs, I designed a social impact bond that encourages a quicker implementation of solar energy devices and grid autonomy within Texas with public and private partnerships. I also co-created a credit that could capture state future revenue streams to invest in hybridization of marine transportation. Additionally, I am researching with a multidisciplinary team the impact of AI in lowering the cost of workforce training while increasing safety standards.
My experience in the US has enrichen my personal, academic, and professional life. The Master of Public Affairs at UT opened for me a network filled with opportunities and helped me obtain a specialization. The support from Fulbright and IAPGH was crucial to pursuing this challenge. From a personal perspective, I have shared exceptional moments with a diverse and welcoming community. From an academic and professional perspective, I got to work and talk with world-renowned professionals that I could only read about in Argentina. Overall, I now feel prepared to engage with a global scenario.
My goal after my master’s degree is to work in New York, Chicago, Austin, or San Francisco for a year and then return to Argentina to apply what I learned. I want to continue effecting change in activities that have a high public impact.
Pablo Pejlatowicz