Faculty | Penn Today

Alanna Shanahan will begin her appointment as the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation starting July 19, 2021.

Alanna Shanahan appointed director of Athletics and Recreation

The Class of 1996 alumna will begin her appointment as the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation starting July 19, 2021.

‘Traveling Black:’ the fight for freedom on roads, rail, and in the air

Mia Bay of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about her new book, “Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance.”

Screen shot of Adam Grant and Erika James.

The key to becoming a better leader? Question your assumptions

Wharton’s Adam Grant and Dean Erika James share five ways executives can rethink their assumptions about what it means to be a good business leader.

Neuro-oncologist joins Penn’s mission to fight brain cancer

Richard Phillips, a Presidential Assistant Professor of Neurology and member of the Penn Epigenetics Institute, hopes to bring glioma research out of the “basement.”

Vijay Kumar reappointed dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science

Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, will serve as dean through June 30, 2027.

Inaugural Presidential Ph.D. Fellows announced

Drawing from the most accomplished and diverse Ph.D. trainees, the 2021 Presidential Ph.D. Fellows come from across the nine schools at Penn that offer Ph.D. programs.

Karen Detlefsen on a back porch in the snow.

Karen Detlefsen named Penn vice provost for education

The professor of philosophy in the School of Arts & Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Education, has been named vice provost for education at the University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1.

Stephen Gluckman’s polio vaccination card

From polio pioneer to COVID-19 crusader

Stephen Gluckman, infectious disease specialist and director of Penn Global Medicine, reflects on past and present vaccines.

‘A Revolution in Rhyme’

While building the Persian language and studies program at Penn, Fatemeh Shams draws from the millennium-old Persian literary tradition to write a new book about poetry and politics in modern Iran. She will embark on her next book project during an upcoming fellowship in Berlin.

Damon Centola is a professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and director of the Network Dynamics Group.

(Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

Untapped insights, network dynamics, and a unique approach to NBA scouting

A new book from Annenberg’s Damon Centola describes why some ideas succeed while others fail and uses case studies to illustrate the science behind what drives change.

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