Centers + Institutes

Penn Center for Molecular Discovery (PCMD)

Scott Diamond, Director

The Penn Center for Molecular Discovery (PCMD) is a multi-disciplinary center that screens small molecules from around the world in search of new, potentially useful biologically effective agents. The Penn Center for Molecular Discovery is housed within the Institute for Medicine and Engineering.

Penn Institute for Computational Science (PICS)

Aleksandra Vojvodic, Director

The Penn Institute for Computational Science is housed within the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering here at Penn. The formation of the Penn Institute for Computational Science derives from the observation that computing is an important tool for research in essentially every field of study today; from the physical and biological sciences to every part of engineering to linguistics to medicine to psychology. Computing’s rapidly changing landscape, while presenting immense opportunities, makes it a challenge for researchers to stay at the state-of-the-art. PICS is formed to address these challenges and opportunities across the Penn while using the talents and research of many CBE faculty as well as faculty across SEAS and the university.

Center for Engineering MechanoBiology

Vivek Shenoy, Director

The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB) is a multi-institutional Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation to advance the study of mechanical forces in molecules, cells, and tissues in plants and animals. The mission of the CEMB is to create new materials, biomedical therapies, and improved agricultural technologies. Our researchers utilize multidisciplinary approaches to interrogate and guide the formation of biological structures on multiple scales and will create new platforms for innovative research and training as a pipeline to the workforce of the future.

Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM)

Arjun G. Yodh, Director

The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) is the intellectual focal point of materials research at Penn. It hosts the Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC), which consists of five Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) plus selected seed projects. The MRSEC provides crucial support for faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students drawn from different disciplines, to tackle complex materials science projects that can only be addressed in a truly collaborative mode.