PIK Professor Rakesh Vohra: An Interdisciplinary Innovator
Drawing from the seemingly disparate fields of economics, electrical engineering, and computer science, Rakesh Vohra’s work requires the support of an institution resolutely committed to interdisciplinary research—a level of commitment he says few institutions beyond Penn have. With appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Rakesh Vohra is the George A. Weiss and Lydia Bravo Weiss University Professor, Professor of Economics, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, and Co-director of the Warren Center for Network & Data Sciences.
Drawing from the seemingly disparate fields of economics, electrical engineering, and computer science, Rakesh Vohra’s work requires the support of an institution resolutely committed to interdisciplinary research—a level of commitment he says few institutions beyond Penn have.
Vohra is an innovator in mechanism design and forecasting in low informational environments, and has pioneered new ways to design effective markets for purposes as diverse as the power grid, online advertising, wireless spectrum access, and the allocation of donor kidneys.
On the move: Water quality and antimicrobial resistance testing goes mobile
Penn researchers have developed a mobile field laboratory allowing them to test water quality and track antimicrobial resistance in and around San Cristóbal in the Galápagos.
Penn researchers Vanessa and Alexis North are studying one of the largest collections of Egyptian blue objects ever found in the ancient Near East, shedding new light on how the world’s first synthetic pigment may have traveled far beyond Egypt.
A new role for dental providers? Rethinking where vaccines are given
Vaccinations have traditionally been administered in primary care settings or pharmacies. However, for about a decade, some states have authorized dentists to administer vaccines, and many others did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effectiveness of this approach has led some countries and states to expand or consider expanding the role of dental providers in delivering routine vaccines, including those against COVID-19 and the human papillomavirus (HPV), and in providing vaccine education.
Penn student develops a way for computer chips to run more efficiently
Fluid Silicon, a platform from President’s Sustainability Prize winner Nhlanhla Mavuso, allows computer chips to continuously monitor their health and self-tune as their characteristics change. The technology has the potential to reduce energy usage in data centers and improve reliability in mission-critical applications.
