Marsha Lester Named Browne Professor

Marsha I. Lester has been appointed the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. Lester studies fundamental aspects of the oxidation of volatile organic compounds present in the earth's atmosphere, and her current research focuses on Criegee intermediates. Lester’s scientific accomplishments have been recognized by election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, and fellowship in the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Chemical Society. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chemical Physics. At Penn, Lester has been Chair of the Department of Chemistry and a founding member and past Chair of the Penn Forum for Women Faculty. Previously, she held the Edmund J. Kahn Distinguished Professorship.  

The late Christopher H. Browne, C’69, served as Chair of the Board of Overseers at Penn Arts & Sciences and as a Trustee of the University. The Browne Distinguished Professorships recognize faculty members who have achieved an extraordinary reputation for scholarly contributions, demonstrated great distinction in teaching, and demonstrated intellectual integrity and unquestioned commitment to free and open discussion of ideas.