Mark Trodden
Dean, School of Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Mark Trodden, Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, began his tenure as Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences in June 2025. A faculty member since 2009, Trodden previously co-directed the Center for Particle Cosmology, chaired the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 2014 to 2022, and served as Associate Dean for the Natural Sciences from 2023 to 2025.
Trodden is a distinguished theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist whose work explores the border between those subfields, focusing particularly on the early universe, dark energy, and tests of gravity. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the United Kingdom’s Institute of Physics. His leadership has been shaped by his mentorship of the next generation of scholars in the field and his service on national scientific advisory bodies. He has served as a member of the U.S. High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, the Scientific Advisory Board for Mathematical and Physical Sciences of the Simons Foundation, and the Committee on Science and the Arts of the Franklin Institute.
At Penn, Trodden served as Chair of the School of Arts & Sciences’ Personnel Committee, has been a member of the School’s Planning and Priorities Committee and chaired a school-wide Task Force on Standing Faculty Assessment. He also played an important role in the completion of the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology while engaging deeply with alumni, donors, and volunteer leaders across the School and University community.
Throughout his career, Trodden has demonstrated a deep appreciation for the full range of inquiry and scholarship within the School of Arts & Sciences. He has been a steadfast advocate for the humanities, a champion of interdisciplinary collaboration, and a trusted institutional voice in moments of both promise and complexity.