PHILADELPHIA – Six faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been named Penn Fellows for 2011.

The announcement was made by Vincent Price, Penn provost, and Lynn Hollen Lees, vice provost for faculty.

They are:

• Vijay Balasubramanian, Merriam Term Associate Professor of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences and a theoretical physicist who specializes in string theory, black holes, quantum gravity and applications of neuroscience. 

• Karen Beckman, Jaffe Professor of Cinema Studies and Art History in the School of Arts and Sciences and a scholar of interdisciplinary visual culture, focusing on the connections among film, photography and modern art. 

• Gerard Cachon, Sullivan Professor and chair of operations and information management in the Wharton School and an expert in supply-chain management, especially the impact of new technologies on competitiveness. 

• Marwan Kraidy, associate professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and a scholar of global communication, primarily in Arab media, including reality television, music videos and the structure of the television industry.

• John Lapinski, associate professor and undergraduate chair of political science in the School of Arts and Sciences, a scholar of congressional lawmaking and a senior election analyst for NBC News. 

• Erle Robertson, professor of microbiology in the School of Medicine, director of the Tumor Virology Program at the Abramson Cancer Center and a molecular biologist and virologist whose research centers on Epstein-Barr and Kaposi’s sarcoma viruses.

The Penn Fellows program, begun in 2009, provides leadership development to select Penn faculty members in mid-career.  It includes opportunities to build cross-campus alliances, meet distinguished academic leaders, think strategically about universities and university governance and consult with Penn’s senior administrators.