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2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named
a photograph of Penn's college hall framed by green leaves during the summer

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research announces the 2021 cohort of Penn’s Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity, the largest in the program’s history thus far. This fellowship program is designed to help postdocs advance their careers while enriching the community of scholars here at Penn. 

2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named

The competitive program, managed by Office of the Vice Provost for Research, is designed to support early career researchers and scholars while enriching the Penn community.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials
a side by side of a simulated nanocrystal next to a microscopic image of one

A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials

By combining theory, computational simulations, chemical synthesis, and assembly, researchers demonstrate how an “inverse design” strategy can create unique materials using difficult-to-mix nanocrystals.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Inaugural SNF Paideia fellows reflect on an inspiring first year
three women wearing mask smiles at each other in front of an old stone building

SNF Paideia Fellows Angelina Oh (left) and Amy Krimm (center) chat with Lia Howard, student advising and wellness director, at an informal welcome event held in Penn Commons this spring. (Image: Courtesy of the SNF Paideia Program)

Inaugural SNF Paideia fellows reflect on an inspiring first year

The fellowship program for undergraduates connects their general education and major requirements to public engagement and community building through dialogue across differences.

Kristen de Groot

How child tax credits will affect American families
Woman sits at a desk with a baby

Approximately 39 million households across the country will receive the child tax credits, which are projected to cut child poverty in half, says Amy Castro Baker.

How child tax credits will affect American families

Social scientists Amy Castro Baker and Pilar Gonalons-Pons weigh in on how expanded child tax credits beginning July 15 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will impact poverty, gender relations, and future policy

Kristina García

‘Global Health Justice and Governance’
An image of an earth surrounded by word bubbles describing public health issues like "a lack of global strategy" and "facade of altruism"

There are multiple issues leading to fragmenting and global health inequality, according to Jennifer Prah Ruger. Global health is an issue of justice, not charity, she says. 

‘Global Health Justice and Governance’

In a special issue of the journal Global Health Governance, seven experts reflect upon Jennifer Prah Ruger’s call for a new model of global public health that prioritizes equity and cooperation between nations and agencies.

Kristina García

‘Cities in water’
Panoramic view of the village of Gangotri at the shore of a river.

‘Cities in water’

Architect and landscape architect Anuradha Mathur and anthropologist Nikhil Anand are collaborating on questions of design and human practices to create new ways of thinking about low-lying coastal cities in India and around the world.

Kristina García

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain
Person sitting at a table with blurry people in front and a screen hanging on the wall behind, which reads, "Experiential effects on brain development."

Martha J. Farah, the Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences, is director of the Center for Neuroscience & Society at Penn. (Pre-pandemic image: Courtesy Martha Farah) 

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain

Through the Abecedarian Project, an early education, randomized controlled trial that has followed children since 1971, Penn and Virginia Tech researchers reveal new discoveries about brain structure decades later.

Michele W. Berger

Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs
Scuba diver looks at coral growing on mats underwater

Penn biologist Katie Barott and colleagues found that corals maintain their ability to resist bleaching even when transplanted to a new reef. (Image: S. Matsuda)

Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs

Corals that withstood a severe bleaching event and were transplanted to a different reef maintained their resilient qualities, according to a new study led by Katie Barott of the School of Arts & Sciences.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID
A young person wearing a mask and polka dot t-shirt leaning against a faux wooden wall.

A mental health checkup for children and adolescents, a year into COVID

As a whole, this group experienced a significant short-term psychological toll. Though the long-term consequences aren’t yet known, particularly given how the year disproportionately exacerbated adverse childhood experiences, Penn experts remain cautiously optimistic.

Michele W. Berger