Penn Arts and Sciences Names Lauren Sallan the Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies

Lauren Sallan, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, has been named the Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies. Sallan is a scholar of paleobiology and paleontology. Her research, which uses the fossil record of fishes as a database to investigate macroevolutionary trends, aims to understand the long-term effects of global events including mass extinction, ecological dynamics, and environmental change. Worldwide interest in her research is reflected in her selection as one of 15 TED Fellows in 2017. Sallan has published research articles in Science, PNAS, Current Biology, and Biological Reviews, and currently serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. At Penn, she is a member of the Dean’s planning committee on Quantitative Explorations of Evolving Systems.

This chair was endowed by Margy Ellin Meyerson, G’93, in memory of her husband, Penn President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, HON’70. President Meyerson was a distinguished teacher, administrator, and urban planner who served as University president from 1970-81. The chair is specifically designated for an outstanding faculty member whose pursuits exemplify the integration of knowledge.