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a6 Communications from the Chief Scientific Officer

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Daniel Kessler, PhD, appointed Director of Biomedical Graduate Studies and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

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12/17/25

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dan

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This year, the University of Pennsylvania marks 40 years of excellence in Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS), and we are delighted to appoint a new leader who will continue to build upon and support the continued trajectory and impact of this remarkable community: Daniel Kessler, PhD, has been named the new Director of BGS and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

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Dr. Kessler is an Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. For the past five months, he served as interim director of BGS, providing steadfast leadership during a time of transition – not only at the School and University levels but also for the Academy nationally. He is recognized for his unwavering commitment to education, teaching, and mentoring and as an integral member of BGS, in which he has been involved for three decades, including 15 years as Chair of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program. During this leadership, the student body grew in size, quality, diversity, and research productivity. Dr. Kessler has extensive experience teaching and directing courses for graduate and medical students.

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A graduate of Cornell University in Genetics and Development, Dr. Kessler earned his PhD in Molecular Biology in the laboratory of Dr. James Darnell at Rockefeller University. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Melton at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Penn. For twenty years, Dr. Kessler led an NIH-funded research program, and his research interests focus on fundamental mechanisms that establish the major cell lineages and organizing centers of the early vertebrate embryo. He is a recipient of the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award.

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An impassioned educator and mentor, Dr. Kessler has been an enthusiastic leader and champion of graduate studies -- underscored by the depth, breath, and continuity of 30 years of leadership and service in BGS. His service on the BGS Admissions, Curriculum, and Advisory Committees spanned the tenure of three BGS Directors and brought sustained collaboration with the BGS administrative team, giving him broad and long-term experience with the full spectrum of program priorities and opportunities. As a current member of the faculty leadership team for Research Trainee Affairs, he co-directs the PennPREP pathway program and serves on the leadership team for the Trainee Advancement Alliance. Providing support to faculty and students alike, he connects on a personal level, advocating on the behalf of students and developing strategies for continuity in student and research support. For his teaching and mentoring efforts at Penn, he was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Training in 2009 and the Christian R. and Mary LF. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2019.

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BGS has a long history of dedicated, innovative leadership, which will continue under Dr. Kessler’s guidance. Our PhD program serves as a national model for interdisciplinary education in the biomedical sciences, recognized for its commitment to developing and supporting a diverse student body through its various outreach programs at the undergraduate and post-baccalaureate levels, extensive recruitment efforts, and peer-mentoring programs. Dr. Kessler has long shown his commitment to and leadership in expanding and advancing the strengths of and opportunities in BGS, and we are grateful for his leadership at this important time in research education and training.

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Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kessler as the new Director of Biomedical Graduate Studies and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

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E. Michael Ostap, PhD

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Professor of Physiology

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Senior Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer,

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Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

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and

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Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD

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Professor of Dental Medicine

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Vice Provost for Graduate Education

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