Paulo Arratia: Eduardo D. Glandt Distinguished Scholar

Paulo Arratia, a professor in the departments of mechanical engineering & applied mechanics and chemical & biomolecular engineering, has been named the Eduardo D. Glandt Distinguished Scholar.

Dr. Arratia’s research focuses on experimental fluid mechanics and soft matter physics. By integrating elements of physics, biology, and engineering, his work explores the behavior of complex fluids and soft materials, often at microscopic scales.  Dr. Arratia has been recognized with multiple awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Milton Van Dyke Award (APS-DFD), the APS-DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion Award, the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, the Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising, and the Penn Health Innovation Award. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Dr. Arratia holds a PhD from Rutgers University and completed his postdoctoral research at Haverford College and at Penn. To learn more about Dr. Arratia and his research, please visit his faculty profile.

Named for Eduardo D. Glandt, a distinguished chemical engineer and dean emeritus of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Eduardo D. Glandt Distinguished Scholar position honors individuals who exemplify academic excellence, innovation, and leadership in fields related to engineering, science or education.

Ravi Radhakrishnan: Herman P. Schwan Department Chair of Bioengineering

Ravi Radhakrishnan, professor and chair of bioengineering and a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named the Herman P. Schwan Department Chair of Bioengineering.

Dr. Radhakrishnan’s computational research laboratory works at the intersection of biophysics, biomolecular engineering, and bioengineering. The lab’s goal is to create digital twin models in biomedical engineering to advance cancer treatment and next-generation therapeutics using nanomedicine. The group specializes in developing computational algorithms that span molecular and cellular scales, incorporating theoretical frameworks from statistical mechanics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Additionally, the lab uses high-performance scientific computing in parallel architectures. Dr. Radhakrishnan is actively engaged in and funded through several national and international multidisciplinary consortia and is a working group leader in the High-Performance Computing Working Group for an Inter-Governmental Consortium: Inter-Agency Modeling Group, which involves the NIH, NSF, NASA, DOE, DOD, and DARPA. Before joining Penn, he earned his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Radhakrishnan has received numerous awards and recognitions. Most notably, he has received the Hewlett Packard Investigator Award and holds fellowships from prominent organizations, including the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). To learn more about Dr. Radhakrishnan and his research, please visit his faculty profile.

The Herman P. Schwan Department Chair of Bioengineering position was established to honor the late Herman P. Schwan, a professor emeritus of biophysics and bioengineering at Penn and a pioneering figure in the field. A visionary scientist and one of the founding members of Penn’s department of bioengineering, Dr. Schwan played a pivotal role in shaping the field of bioengineering in the United States.

Alejandro Ribeiro: Solomon and Sylvia G. Charp Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering

Alejandro Ribeiro, a professor in the departments of electrical & systems engineering and computer & information science, has been named the Solomon and Sylvia G. Charp Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering.

Dr. Ribeiro’s research focuses on wireless autonomous networks, machine learning on network data, and distributed collaborative learning. He aims to develop theoretical foundations for processing architectures in artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing fair, safe and efficient decision-making systems. His work has applications in multiagent systems, wireless communication, and network neuroscience. Among his many accolades are the 2022 IEEE Signal Processing Society Best Paper Award, the 2022 IEEE Brain Initiative Student Paper Award, the 2021 Cambridge Ring Publication of the Year Award, and the 2017 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teach­ing Award. Before joining the University of Pennsylvania, he earned his MSc and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota. To learn more about Dr. Ribeiro and his research, please visit his faculty profile.

The Solomon and Sylvia G. Charp Professorship of Electrical and Systems Engineering was established in 1992 by the late Sylvia Gorski Charp, GRD’66, a pioneer in educational technology and a senior fellow in the School of Engineering & Applied Science. In addition to receiving her master’s and doctorate of education degrees from Penn and teaching courses in the College of General Studies, she helped Penn Engineering develop some of its computer-based educational initiatives, including distance learning and Blackboard. The chair is named for Sylvia Charp and her late husband, Solomon Charp, EE’40, GEE’41, who was on the faculty of the Moore School of Electrical Engineering during the development of ENIAC.

Kevin T. Turner: John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Kevin T. Turner, professor and department chair of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, has been named the John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics.

Dr. Turner’s research is at the nexus of mechanics, manufacturing, and materials. Ongoing efforts in his research group include the development of materials with tunable adhesion and stiffness, the engineering of fracture-resistant heterogeneous and architected materials, and the design and manufacturing of low-cost printed sensors for IoT applications. Dr. Turner holds a secondary appointment in Penn’s department of materials  science and engineering and serves as the research director for the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center for Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag). He earned his BS from Johns Hopkins University and his SM and PhD from MIT.

Dr. Turner has received numerous awards, including the ASME Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, the Early Career Award from the Adhesion Society, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, and the NSF CAREER Award. He has also been honored for teaching excellence with the American Society for Engineering Education Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston Jr. Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award and Penn’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. To learn more about Dr. Turner and his research, please visit his faculty profile.

The John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania is named in honor of John Henry Towne (1818–1875), a distinguished mechanical engineer and industrialist. The establishment of this chair reflects Mr. Towne’s enduring impact on the field of mechanical engineering and Penn’s commitment to excellence in this discipline.