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

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Michael Jones-Correa and Sophia Rosenfeld Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

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Marcia Chatelain, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies, and Matthew Levendusky, Professor of Political Science, are among 198 in the U.S. and Canada selected for this 100th class of fellows.

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Penn ATLAS Shares 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

The team, which includes Joseph Kroll, Evelyn Thomson, Elliot Lipeles, Dylan Rankin, and Brig Williams from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is part of an expansive collaboration studying high-energy collisions from the Large Hadron Collider.

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2025 School of Arts & Sciences Teaching Awards Announced

Penn Arts & Sciences annually recognizes faculty, lecturers, and graduate students for their exemplary teaching. This year’s honorees come from 10 departments and two programs.

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