David Meaney named vice provost for research at Penn

David Meaney has been named vice provost for research at the University of Pennsylvania, effective Aug. 1. He is senior associate dean for faculty development and strategic initiatives and the inaugural Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The announcement was made by Provost John L. Jackson Jr. 

“Dave Meaney is a dynamic and deeply experienced leader, who is engaged with every aspect of research at Penn, from cross-campus partnerships, to space and capital planning, to initiatives in technology and entrepreneurship,” Jackson said. “He has an exciting and expansive vision for the future of research, which will be more important than ever as our strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, calls us to lead on the great challenges of our time, accelerating interdisciplinary innovation across our campus and our city.”

As senior associate dean in the School of Engineering and Applied Science since 2020, Meaney has spearheaded major initiatives to advance wellness, faculty development, facilities expansion, and capital planning across the School. He has been a key partner in the development of such interdisciplinary, cross-campus initiatives as Structured, Active, In-Class Learning for introductory STEM courses; the landmark Penn Health-Tech, which facilitates the creation of new medical devices and health care technologies; the first-of-its-kind Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry, which promotes engineering technologies for oral health; and innovative cross-school partnerships, including the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center, the Innovation in Data Engineering and Science Initiative, the Energy and Sustainability Initiative, the Center for Precision Engineering for Health, and the Center for Quantum Information, Engineering, Science, and Technology. He served from 2007-19 as chair of the Department of Bioengineering.

Meaney’s research focuses on the science of concussions, especially how to prevent and detect injuries, predict recovery, and assess why some people’s brains may be more resilient to injuries. The recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he has worked extensively with the National Football League, as well as on a Congressional Blue Ribbon Panel to investigate roller coaster safety. At Penn, Meaney has received a 2021 Lindback Award, the University’s highest teaching award; the 2019 Ford Motor Company Faculty Advising Award from undergraduate Penn Engineering students; and the 2014 Trustees Council of Penn Women Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, among other awards. He began teaching at Penn in 1993, following a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Penn, a Ph.D. and an M.S. in bioengineering from Penn, and a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

In making the announcement, Jackson said, “I am deeply grateful to Deputy Provost Beth A. Winkelstein and the consultative committee that helped us to arrive at this outstanding result. We are especially indebted to Dawn Bonnell for her landmark 12 years as senior vice provost for research, which have transformed the landscape of research across our region, and for agreeing to extend her term through July 31.”