Penn Faculty: Connecting Knowledge

Penn faculty, the foundation of Penn’s academic enterprise. They produce groundbreaking research, they teach and mentor graduate and professional students, and they inspire and prepare undergraduates to take on the challenges of their respective fields. They contribute to social progress, and they deepen our understanding of every dimension of the human experience.

LEFT TO RIGHT, FROM THE TOP:
Philippe Bourgois, the Richard Perry University Professor
President Amy Gutman, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor
Christopher Murray, the Richard Perry University Professor
Karen Glanz, the George A. Weiss University Professor
John Jackson, the Richard Perry University Professor
Robert Ghrist, the Andrea Mitchell University Professor
Adrian Raine, the Richard Perry University Professor
John Gearhart, the James W. Effron University Professor
Shelley Berger, the Daniel S. Och University Professor
Sarah Tishkoff, the David and Lyn Silfen University Associate Professor
Jonathan Moreno, the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor

NOT PICTURED:
Barbara Mellers, the I. George Heyman University Professor
Philip Tetlock, the Leonore Annenberg University Professor
Ezekiel Emanuel, the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor
Dorothy Roberts, the George A. Weiss University Professor

Drawn to Penn by Amy Gutmann’s bold Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) initiative, these professors stand together as a proud emblem of Penn’s great purpose: teaching and research that integrate knowledge for the benefit of humankind.

Consummate collaborators, inventive problem solvers, PIK professors hold dual appointments within Penn’s twelve schools, creating a signature “ecosystem of innovation” that reaches beyond the classroom, across disciplines, and into the most pressing challenges of our day.

They are, along with Penn faculty and students, alumni and friends, changing the way we teach, learn, and act -- on this campus and beyond.

SUPPORT FACULTY ENDOWMENT.

Endowed PIK professors have been recruited to Penn since 2006, with more on the way, positioning Penn at the forefront of attracting exceptional teacher-scholars. Join the remarkable men and women who are supporting this top campaign priority.

Visiting professorships attract world-class faculty and expert practitioners to Penn, advancing scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement with academic communities beyond campus.

> the Keith L. and Katherine S. Sachs Endowed Visiting Professor in the Fine Arts at Penn Design

> the Bok Visiting International Professors at Penn Law

Katherine Kuchenbecker is the Skirkanich Assistant Professor of Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. She researches the design, control, and performance of robotic systems that enable a user to touch virtual objects and distant environments as though they were real and within reach. By studying applications such as robot-assisted surgery, smart prosthetics, educational computer games, and driver assistance, Katherine seeks to improve our understanding of haptic feedback and uncover new opportunities for its use in interactions between humans, computers, and machines.

Katherine Kuchenbecker is one of Penn's youngest professors. She is also among its most celebrated.

A pioneer in the burgeoning fields of haptics and teleoperation -- the study of touch and the design of robotic systems that can create compelling mechanical illusions -- Kuchenbecker was highly recruited right out of graduate school, receiving offers at five top universities. But it was Penn's that she accepted, drawn by the University's unique community of scholars, rich opportunities for collaboration, and that rarest of commodities: an endowed assistant professorship.

Among Penn's most powerful tools in the battle for rising stars, an endowed assistant professorship offers a young faculty member the prestige of a named position, vital resources for research, and a strong sense of University commitment at one of the most challenging periods in her academic life.

"From the beginning it was very clear that Penn was willing to invest in me and in my future," says Kuchenbecker, "I interviewed at a lot of schools, and there are many great universities in the world, but Penn is truly special. There's excellence across the board in all the different disciplines, departments, and schools that really makes it clear that you are part of a vibrant, multifaceted community."

Recruiting and retaining superb faculty members, particularly in a highly competitive market, requires the resources and distinction that can only be provided through professorships, endowed and term. Endowed faculty positions help Penn attract and retain the very best teacher-scholars, those at the pinnacle of their careers as well as those just beginning their ascent.

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