Penn Arts and Sciences Names Lauren Sallan the Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies

Lauren Sallan, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, has been named the Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies. Sallan is a scholar of paleobiology and paleontology. Her research, which uses the fossil record of fishes as a database to investigate macroevolutionary trends, aims to understand the long-term effects of global events including mass extinction, ecological dynamics, and environmental change. Worldwide interest in her research is reflected in her selection as one of 15 TED Fellows in 2017. Sallan has published research articles in Science, PNAS, Current Biology, and Biological Reviews, and currently serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. At Penn, she is a member of the Dean’s planning committee on Quantitative Explorations of Evolving Systems.

This chair was endowed by Margy Ellin Meyerson, G’93, in memory of her husband, Penn President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, HON’70. President Meyerson was a distinguished teacher, administrator, and urban planner who served as University president from 1970-81. The chair is specifically designated for an outstanding faculty member whose pursuits exemplify the integration of knowledge.

Arts & Sciences News

Tej Patel, C’25, W’25, and Sridatta Teerdhala, C’25, W’25, Selected as Marshall Scholars

The students, both part of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, will receive funding for up to three years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.

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$50 Million Legacy Gift to Penn Arts & Sciences Funds Undergraduate Aid

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Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music, will step into the role as of January 1, 2025.

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Josephine Nock-Hee Park Named Associate Dean for Arts and Letters

The School of Arts and Sciences President’s Distinguished Professor of English will oversee the School’s humanities departments and research centers.

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2024 Making a Difference in Global Communities and Klein Family Social Justice Grants Announced

The funding went to 11 projects from faculty in nine Penn Arts & Sciences departments, with work focusing on everything from better crime policy to a philosopher-in-residence program and psychology education in middle schools.

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Bo Zhen Named Jin K. Lee Presidential Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Zhen’s research focuses on the study of electromagnetic waves, such as light, in engineered environments.

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