David Meaney
David Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, began his tenure as Vice Provost for Research on August 1, 2025.
Vice Provost Meaney served as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Strategic Initiatives in the School of Engineering and Applied Science from 2020-2025. In this role, he spearheaded major initiatives to advance wellness, faculty development, facilities expansion, and capital planning across the School, and he was a key partner in the development of such interdisciplinary, cross-campus initiatives as Structured, Active, In-Class Learning for introductory STEM courses; the landmark Penn Health-Tech, which facilitates the creation of new medical devices and healthcare technologies; the first-of-its-kind Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry, which promotes engineering technologies for oral health; and innovative cross-School partnerships including the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center, the Innovation in Data Engineering and Science Initiative, the Energy and Sustainability Initiative, the Center for Precision Engineering for Health, and the Center for Quantum Information, Engineering, Science, and Technology. He served from 2007-2019 as Chair of the Department of Bioengineering, raising the department’s US News ranking to fourth and tripling its per capita research to rank second among all peer universities.
His research focuses on the science of concussions, especially how to prevent and detect injuries, predict recovery, and assess why some people’s brains may be more resilient to injuries. The recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he has worked extensively with the National Football League, as well as on a Congressional Blue Ribbon Panel to investigate roller coaster safety. At Penn, he has received a 2021 Lindback Award, the university’s highest teaching award; the 2019 Ford Motor Company Faculty Advising Award from undergraduate Penn Engineering students; and the 2014 Trustees Council of Penn Women Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, among other awards. He began teaching at Penn in 1993, following a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Penn, a PhD and MS in Bioengineering from Penn, and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.