Mark Trodden was named School of Arts and Sciences dean on April 15 (Photo courtesy of Eric Sucar).
Penn appointed Mark Trodden as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor on Tuesday afternoon.
Trodden will assume the role on June 1, according to the April 15 announcement sent to the SAS community by Penn President Larry Jameson and Provost John Jackson Jr. Trodden currently serves as associate dean for the natural sciences and the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics at the School of Arts and Sciences and has been a faculty member at Penn since 2009.
“It is a profound honor to lead the School of Arts and Sciences at this moment,” Trodden told Penn Today. “I look forward to working closely with colleagues across disciplines, and across Penn, to shape the next chapter in our School’s proud history.”
As associate dean for the natural sciences, Trodden currently oversees seven departments and 15 centers and institutes, a role in which he forms interdisciplinary partnerships across the natural sciences, according to the announcement.
“Throughout his career at Penn, Trodden has demonstrated a deep appreciation for the full range of inquiry and scholarship within the School of Arts and Sciences,” Jameson told Penn Today. “He has been a steadfast advocate for the humanities, a champion of interdisciplinary collaboration, and a trusted institutional voice in moments of both promise and complexity.”
Trodden — an expert in cosmology and particle physics — is also a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the United Kingdom’s Institute of Physics. His leadership reflects his contributions to national scientific advisory bodies and his dedication to mentoring emerging scholars in the field.
Trodden’s permanent appointment comes after former SAS Deputy Dean Jeffrey Kallberg assumed the role in an interim capacity in December 2024.
Kallberg, who has served on Penn’s faculty since 1982, had previously held the role of associate dean for arts and letters from 2010 until his appointment as deputy dean — a role in which he oversaw academic programs in the humanities encompassing 16 departments, including the English, History, Music, and Philosophy departments.
On Sept. 10, 2024, senior Penn administrators announced that former SAS Dean Steven Fluharty would be stepping down from the position at the end of the year. Fluharty was appointed to the position in 2013, and his 12 years leading the school make him the longest-serving dean in SAS history.
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