A Letter from the Chair

This year marks the end of my six years in PMB leadership, a time that has been marked by several significant milestones that will shape our future trajectory. Looking back on my tenure as departmental chair (and associate chair before that), one of the most defining aspects has been our collective journey in fostering a strong sense of community even amidst significant challenges. Be it reinforcing the importance of collaboration and support within the PMB family throughout the pandemic or navigating the new landscape of student and postdoctoral training following their unionization and contract negotiations, PMB remained steadfast in its people-centric values. We adapted our rotation system, provided significant additional financial support to graduate students, and ensured that our programs continued to earn exceptionally strong national rankings. An ongoing highlight is the trainee-organized weekly Student-Postdoc Seminar Series that features research within PMB. This community-oriented series includes a pizza party welcome back event and an annual career panel.

I am thrilled at the successes of our faculty. Ceci Martinez-Gomez and Ksenia Krasileva were recently promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure, and Rachel Brem was promoted to full Professor—milestones we celebrated collectively with champagne in the shade of the historic Faculty Club! This year, we successfully recruited fungal biologist Lotus Lofgren, who will start as our newest assistant professor in January 2025. Lotus and the six other exceptional faculty members who joined PMB during my time in departmental leadership exemplify the level of holistic excellence that makes PMB a special place.  

A key milestone this year was navigating the rigorous 10-year academic program review. Our comprehensive self-assessment provided a blueprint for PMB for the next decade, including strategic planning for faculty hiring, curriculum enhancement, research initiatives, and overall departmental operations. Indeed, the external advisory committee praised PMB’s outstanding scholarship, the excellent experiential learning offered in our undergraduate majors, our top-ranking graduate programs, and the collegial and collaborative spirit that permeates the department at all levels.

I leave PMB leadership inspired by the resilience, dedication, and spirit of collaboration within our community. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues, and I look forward to witnessing the continued success and growth of our department in the years to come under the leadership of Professor Britt Glaunsinger, our new chair.

With warm regards,

Sheng Luan, PMB Chair