Urgent Challenges.
Penn Engineering is committed to leading transformative research that addresses society’s most urgent needs, from human health and sustainable systems to trustworthy AI and resilience. Across three Strategic Frontiers, the School is investing in areas where it has a competitive advantage, catalyzing interdisciplinary collaboration and building infrastructure to support discovery, translation and scale.
Penn Engineering aims to transform medicine from reactive to predictive and personalized care. By integrating AI, biotechnology and immune engineering, our researchers focus on accelerating therapies, enabling early detection and creating regenerative solutions, ultimately improving health outcomes and expanding access to advanced, data-driven care worldwide.
Penn Engineering aims to build a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient future by reimagining energy, computing and environmental systems. By integrating advanced materials, AI and urban-scale modeling, our researchers are working to develop sustainable technologies, circular resource systems and resilient infrastructure that connect innovation across scales to protect the planet and support equitable growth.
Penn Engineering is working to create AI systems that are embodied, collaborative and brain-inspired that can sense, learn and act in the real world. By integrating robotics, neuroscience and computation, our researchers are focusing on augmenting human intelligence and building adaptive, trustworthy machines that enhance discovery, creativity and real-world impact.
FY2025 Research Expenditures
Increase in Research Expenditures Since 2015
NSF CAREER Awards Since 2015
Our interdisciplinary research centers and institutes span across all departments in Penn Engineering and foster collaborations across different schools throughout the University and beyond. The physical connectivity of engineering buildings and our proximity to each of the other schools on campus enables exciting collaborations with faculty, students and postdocs across Penn.
As a leading research institution, the pioneering technologies being developed at Penn Engineering will have a profound impact on society. Through RISE UP: Responsible Innovation in Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, we are developing technologies and scientific advancements in a way that anticipates potential impacts, reflects on underlying values, includes diverse perspectives and responds to emerging challenges, ensuring that innovation serves humanity rather than undermines it.
From idea to impact, Penn Engineering’s research ecosystem connects discovery with application. Through innovation, collaboration and commercialization, we bring together disciplines, partners and resources to accelerate real-world solutions, translating breakthrough research into technologies, ventures and partnerships that benefit society.
At Penn Engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship are embedded in research and education activities, connecting students and faculty with resources, mentorship and partners to transform ideas into lasting impact.
Our collaborations span disciplines, schools and sectors, bringing together interdisciplinary faculty, students and external partners to tackle complex challenges in ways that are responsive to the needs of society, advancing innovations that are broader in perspective, scope and outcomes.
Commercialization pathways at Penn Engineering help translate research into real-world applications, supporting faculty and students in moving discoveries from the lab to the marketplace through licensing, startups and partnership opportunities that bring new technologies and solutions to society.
Penn Engineering provides ample opportunities for undergraduate students to learn and work in the School’s state-of-the-art research laboratories during the academic year and in the summer. Students engage in hands-on research alongside faculty experts, contributing to projects that span disciplines and address real-world challenges. From early exploration to advanced study, undergraduate students gain the experience and mentorship needed to turn curiosity into meaningful impact.
