Dr. Mecky Pohlschroder, professor and Undergraduate Chair of the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), attended Wilhelms University of Münster as an undergraduate, and earned her Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She was a postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School prior to joining the faculty at UPenn. In her own lab, she uses interdisciplinary approaches to study prokaryotic cell surface biogenesis and functions in model systems. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and of the University of Münster.

Pohlschroder is committed to her department’s goal of providing students from diverse backgrounds with an understanding of the changing world from a biologist’s perspective. She has implemented several initiatives focused on increasing student engagement within the biology department as well as in the local community, with the goals of raising enthusiasm for scientific research in the students of underfunded Philadelphia schools and introducing UPenn students to the wisdom to be gained from a rich vibrant community. A recent focus has been on helping students become informed, engaged and effective community members through interdisciplinary coursework.