News from

Faculty

Reset All Filters
1037 Results
New class of materials passively harvest water from air
A water droplet reflecting the color spectrum.

Image: MamiGibbs via Getty Images

New class of materials passively harvest water from air

Researchers at Penn Engineering have discovered a new class of nanostructured materials that can pull water from the air, which could enable new ways to collect water in arid regions and devices that cool electronics or buildings using the power of evaporation.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Modupe Coker named Fellow of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine

Modupe Coker named Fellow of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine

Coker, an associate professor in the Department of Basic and Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine, is among 100 fellows from across the country selected for the 2025-2026 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program. Hosted by Drexel University College of Medicine, ELAM is dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in schools of medicine, dentistry, public health and pharmacy.

Determining the cause of cryopreservation fertility failures
Spermatogenesis at a microscopic level

Image: Ed Reschke via Getty Images

Determining the cause of cryopreservation fertility failures

A new study from Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine on germ cell gene regulatory networks offers a holistic understanding of complex male germ cell differentiation in meiosis and spermatogenesis.

Martin Hackett

2 min. read

Unlocking the mechanics of protein misfolding
Artist's interpretation of prion mechanics.

Mathieu Ouellet

Unlocking the mechanics of protein misfolding

An interdisciplinary team led by School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Lee C. Bassett and Dani Bassett, also of the School of Arts & Sciences, have studied the mechanical properties of prions, the mysterious shape-shifting proteins that are infamous for mad cow disease yet essential for yeast survival

5 min. read

Penn Global Grants awarded to 16 new faculty-led projects

Penn Global Grants awarded to 16 new faculty-led projects

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program supports new or established projects that leverage Penn research and expertise to advance knowledge in and of communities around the world. Much of this year’s projects address urgent global challenges—including climate and public health.

Penn students innovate in the time of AI
Helen Jin, Davis Brown

Helen Jin and Davis Brown.

nocred

Penn students innovate in the time of AI

Students from schools across the University are putting knowledge into practice, asking deep questions and finding innovative uses for AI tools.

5 min. read

Delivering a one-two punch to superbugs to fight infections
Rakesh Krishnan sits at a computer staring at a 3D rendering of a protein.

Researchers led by César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine have created new peptides that fight hard-to-treat “superbug” infections by punching holes in bacterial cells and stimulating immune cells to signal for more defenders.

(Image: Courtesy of Jianing Bai) 

Delivering a one-two punch to superbugs to fight infections

Penn researchers create mirror-image molecules that both kill pathogens outright and rally the immune system—an advance aimed at the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.

3 min. read

At the Venice Biennale, a convergence of innovations in materials, structures, and landscapes
Robert Gerard Pietrusko’a installation ”A Satellite Symphony.”

Robert Gerard Pietrusko collaborated on the installation ”A Satellite Symphony,” which explores how satellites frame how we understand the Earth itself; the viewing structure is constructed from trees from the Veneto region downed by storms.

(Image: Gaia Cambiaggi / Studio Campo)

At the Venice Biennale, a convergence of innovations in materials, structures, and landscapes

Several Weitzman School of Design faculty and students will exhibit at the Venice Biennale’s 19th International Architecture Exhibition.

From the Weitzman School of Design

3 min. read

New tools to treat retinal degenerations at advanced stages of disease
Raghavi Sudharsan and William Beltran by a microscope in a lab.

Raghavi Sudharsan and William Beltran of the Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

nocred

New tools to treat retinal degenerations at advanced stages of disease

A collaborative team of researchers led by vision scientists at the School of Veterinary Medicine have developed novel promoters that drive strong and specific gene expression in rod and cone photoreceptors in mid-to-late stages of disease, potentially offering new and improved options for gene therapy.

3 min. read