2018
New Arts and Sciences Faculty Announced
The School of Arts and Sciences welcomed 22 new standing faculty members for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Shlomo Benartzi Named Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative
Benartzi is a professor and co-founder of the Behavioral Decision-Making Group at the Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles.
Klein and Lareau Named Kahn Chairs
Two distinguished faculty members have been appointed Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professors.
Elizabeth Rhoades Receives Award from Biophysical Society
The BPS grants the Michael and Kate Bárány Award to early-career academics who have made an outstanding contribution to biophysics.
Ralph Rosen to Serve as Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
Rosen previously held the position of Associate Dean for Graduate Studies from 2008 to 2013.
Navigating Urban Waters, With an Interdisciplinary Approach
In a research-based fellowship program this summer, a group of Penn graduate and undergraduate students are creating new narratives of their own, tied to water.
Cancer Cells Send Out ‘Drones’ to Battle the Immune System From Afar
Researchers show that, to assist in the fight, cancer cells release biological “drones,” small vesicles called exosomes circulating in the blood and armed with the protein PD-L1, which causes T cells to tire before they have a chance to reach the tumor and do battle.
Mary Frances Berry Discusses Her New Book “History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times”
In it, she shares her memories of being a protestor, provides an analysis of protest strategies, and highlights lessons from a lengthy history of fighting against injustice.
Greening Vacant Lots Reduces Depression in City Dwellers
Revitalizing dilapidated environments may be an important, inexpensive tool to address mental health in urban communities.
Martha Farah Elected to Prestigious British Academy Fellowship
Martha Farah has been made a Fellow of the prestigious British Academy for the humanities and social sciences.
A Physics Treasure Hidden in the Pattern of Wallpaper
A newly identified insulating material could one day enable more-efficient electronics or even quantum computing.
Matthews Named Scialog Fellow
Scialog supports cohorts of early-career scientists addressing globally significant challenges.
Understanding the Social Dynamics That Cause Cooperation to Thrive, or Fail
Biologist Erol Akçay shows how certain types of social networks can paradoxically lead to cooperation’s collapse.
Frigid Polar Oceans, Not Coral Reefs, Are Hot Spots for Formations of Fish Species
Penn paleobiologist Lauren Sallan’s fossil fish dataset enabled University of Michigan-led team to time-calibrate a massive evolutionary tree.
Dean’s Global Inquiries Fund Projects Announced
Dean Steven J. Fluharty established the fund to advance the School’s commitment to driving global change, a key priority in the Power of Penn Arts & Sciences fundraising campaign.
Emily Hannum Named Associate Dean for the Social Sciences
In this new role, Hannum will oversee the Departments of Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, History and Sociology of Science, Political Science, and Sociology, as well as several research centers.
Making a Difference in Diverse Communities Grants Announced
The initiative encourages faculty to explore innovative ways of applying their expertise.
Lauren Sallan Honored by Alma Mater University of Chicago for Achievements in Paleobiology
With an impressive complement of achievements and contributions to her field, the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauren Sallan was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for Early Achievement by her alma mater, the University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences. It’s the first time a Ph.D.
Psychology’s Thompson-Schill and Kahana Honored
Two Penn Arts and Sciences faculty members were recently honored with the Psychonomic Society Mid-Career Award, given for exceptional contributions to the field of experimental and cognitive psychology.
Sharing Space to Support ‘Better Science’
Across disciplines, researchers in the Computational Neuroscience Initiative put their heads together to better understand the brain.
Harnessing DNA Tricks to Boost Nanosensors
Physics and astronomy researchers increases the sensitivity of sensors with a trick of DNA engineering.
John Lapinski to be named the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science
John Lapinski will be named the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science and the director of the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program effective July 1, 2018.
Recipients of the 2018 Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students Announced
Eight graduate students from Penn Arts and Sciences to receive the prestigious award.
Joseph S. Francisco Named President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science
Joseph S. Francisco will join Penn as the President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Chemistry, on July 1, 2018.
Michael C. Horowitz Awarded Department of Defense Grant to Lead Team on Study of Autonomous Systems and AI
Michael C. Horowitz, Professor of Political Science, will oversee the study of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.
Earthquakes at the Nanoscale
In collaboration with Robert Carpick and David Goldsby, Tian, who graduated from Penn in 2017 with a doctorate in physics, recently published a paper in Physical Review Letters which attempts to tackle these devastating natural phenomena by investigating the laws of friction at the smallest possible scale, the nanoscale.
Doris Wagner Named Robert I. Williams Term Professor
A leader in the fields of plant biology, chromatin modification, and epigenetics, Wagner’s research focuses on understanding at the molecular level the complex changes that occur when an organism switches developmental programs.
Wrongful Convictions Reported for 6 Percent of Crimes
A study from Penn criminologists results in the first general estimate for the prison population as a whole.
Race Has a Place in Human Genetics Research, Philosopher Argues
Penn philosopher Quayshawn Spencer says there is a racial classification that’s medically useful to reliably sample human genetic diversity.
Exploring the Sounds of the Middle Ages
Assistant Professor of Music Mary Channen Caldwell's freshman seminar course, “Hearing (in) the Middle Ages,” explores a range of sounds heard throughout the medieval period, whether produced by people, instruments, bells, or animals.
Mia Bay Named Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History
Mia Bay, a well-recognized scholar of late modern American intellectual and cultural history with a focus on African-American history, joins Penn.
Custer Awarded Dissertation Fellowship
Lee Ann Custer, a doctoral candidate in the History of Art Department, received a Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship.
Two Penn Arts and Sciences researchers have been selected as 2018 Andrew Carnegie Fellows
Daniel Q. Gillion and Beth Simmons have been selected to receive the fellowship, allowing them to devote as long as two years to research and writing.
Poli Sci Professor Studies Why Women Run (Or Don’t Run) for Office
In a survey study of women interested in running for office, the analysis highlights intriguing new insights.
Korea Expert Discusses Looming U.S.-North Korea Summit
Eugene Park, director of the James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies, examines the forthcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
The Power of Penn Arts & Sciences
On April 12, 2018, the Power of Penn Arts & Sciences fundraising campaign was announced by the Board of Overseers. Launched in conjunction with the University’s Power of Penn campaign, it aims to raise $550 million for the School of Arts and Sciences.
2018 Penn Arts and Sciences Dean’s Scholars
Penn Arts and Sciences has named 20 students from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, and the Graduate Division as Dean’s Scholars. This honor is presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
Joseph Subotnik Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor
Joseph Subotnik, Professor of Chemistry, has been named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Chemistry. A theoretical chemist who focuses on electronic processes in the condensed phase, Dr. Subotnik has made key contributions in electronic structure theory, chemical dynamics, and statistical mechanics.
Two Penn Arts and Sciences Professors Named Guggenheim Fellows
Charles L. Bosk, Professor of Sociology, and Charles Yang, Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science, have been awarded 2018 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowships.
Ahmad Family Endowment Supports Penn Global Seminars
Hyder Ahmad, W’90, and his family have made a generous gift to establish the Ahmad Family Endowment for Penn Global Seminars in Arts and Sciences.
Abraham Nitzan Named Donner Professor of Physical Sciences
Abraham Nitzan, Professor of Chemistry, has been named Donner Professor of Physical Sciences. Nitzan’s research focuses on the interaction of light with molecular systems, chemical reactions in condensed phases and interfaces and charge transfer processes in such environments.
2018 Teaching Award Recipients Announced
Steven J. Fluharty, Dean of Penn Arts and Sciences, and Paul Sniegowski, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, have announced the recipients of the 2018 awards for distinguished teaching in the School.
Topological Phenomenon Could Lead to Faster Optical Communications
A new study led by physicist Bo Zhen investigated topological phenomena in open, or non-Hermitian, physical systems which could potentially lead to novel methods in optical communications and better optical sensors.
College Graduation Speakers for 2018 Revealed
Angela Duckworth, G’03, GR’06, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, will address the Class of 2018 at the graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences on Sunday, May 13, 2018. She will be joined by student speaker Helena von Nagy, C’18.
By River, Ocean, or Wind, Rocks Round the Same Way
Combining mathematical models with lab experiments and field measurements from a river, an ocean, and a dune field, a team led by geophysicist Douglas J. Jerolmack found that the same general processes guide the rounding of those diverse particle types.
Pantev Named Class of 1939 Professor
Tony Pantev, Professor of Mathematics, has been appointed Class of 1939 Professor of Mathematics. Dr. Pantev is a leading scholar of algebraic and differential geometry, Hodge theory, and mathematical physics.
Zhen Is Most Recent Elliman Faculty Fellow
Bo Zhen has joined Penn Arts and Sciences as Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Elliman Faculty Fellow.
Being Hungry Shuts Off Perception of Chronic Pain
According to research by neuroscientists, the brain has a way to suppress chronic pain when an animal is hungry, allowing it to go look for food while leaving intact the response to acute pain. Their work pinpointed a tiny population of 300 brain cells responsible for the ability to prioritize hunger over chronic pain.
Six Penn Arts and Sciences Students Win Thouron Awards to Study in the U.K.
Five Penn Arts and Sciences seniors and an alumnus have received 2018 Thouron Awards to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each scholarship winner receives tuition and stipends for as long as two years to earn a graduate degree.
Penn Faculty to Convene Teach-In on Knowledge
From March 18-22, 2018, Penn faculty will convene a Teach-In on “the production, dissemination, and use of knowledge.” Events will be free and open to the public at locations all around campus. Coordinated by the University of Pennsylvania Faculty Senate, the effort spans all of Penn’s twelve schools in a collective endeavor by staff, students, and faculty.