Centers & Institutes

The University’s integrated campus facilitates unique investigative collaborations across disciplines and research at Penn’s Centers and Institutes represent some of the most cutting edge investigations taking place in the world today. A searchable database of the University’s many Centers and Institutes is to the left.

Centers Overseen by the OVPR

On behalf of the Provost, the Vice Provost for Research oversees the following University-wide Centers & Institutes

The Center for Neuroscience & Society is a university-wide institute whose work addresses the ethical, legal and social implications of neuroscience. Membership includes faculty and students who are dedicated to increasing understanding of the impact of neuroscience on society through research and teaching, and to encourage the responsible use of neuroscience for the benefit of humanity.

Established in 2007 Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives’ (CPHI) mission is to improve health and quality of life by expanding and strengthening public health education, research and practice, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and promoting meaningful community/academic partnerships.

Founded in 1953 the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences (INS) is one of the world’s preeminent institutions for neuroscience research and training. With faculty from 32 departments and six schools, the Institute provides a fertile environment for interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at understanding the brain and diseases of the brain. Scientists at the Mahoney Institute focus on cellular and molecular aspects of the brain; development, regeneration and plasticity; systems neuroscience; behavior and cognition; the pathology of brain disease; and computational neuroscience.

The Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM) fosters an interactive environment within the Penn community to promote excellence in both basic and translational research in stem cell and regenerative biology. The IRM also promotes translational therapies and relevant clinical trials to enhance regeneration to treat serious disease.

Established in 1960 the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) is a leader in the synthesis, characterization, theory and modeling of entirely new classes of materials that are likely to underlie the development of future technologies that substantially impact the research and educational needs of society.

The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI), established in 1967, is the center of the University’s activities and programs in health services research, health policy, and health care management executive education. A cooperative venture among Penn’s schools of medicine, business, nursing, and dental medicine, LDI works to improve the health of the public through multidisciplinary studies on the medical, economic, social, and ethical issues that influence how health care is organized, financed, managed, and delivered.

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is dedicated to advancing cross-disciplinary urban-focused research, instruction, and civic engagement on issues relevant to cities around the world. As the global population becomes increasingly urban, understanding cities is vital to informed decision-making and public policy at the local, national, and international levels.

All Centers & Institutes

Over 170 Research Centers & Institutes of the University of Pennsylvania
Center & Link
Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Advanced Research and Innovation Lab
Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality and Women
Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD)
Alternative Investments Initiative
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing
Behavior Change for Good Initiative
Bioengineering Research Labs
Boettner Center for Pensions and Retirement Research
Campbell Collaboration
CAMRA at Penn
Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research
Cell & Developmental Biology
Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication
Center for Advanced Study of India
Center for Africana Studies 
Center for Animal Health and Productivity
Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research
Center for Asian Law
Center for Architectural Conservation
Center for Bioethics
Center for Brain Injury and Repair
Center for Cellular Immunotherapies
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Center for Cognitive Therapy
Center for East Asian Studies
Center for Engineering MechanoBiology 
Center for Environmental Building & Design
Center for Ethics & the Rule of Law
Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology
Center for Functional Neuroimaging
Center for Global Women's Health
Center for Health Behavior and Communication Research
Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE)
Center for Health Management and Economics
Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research
Center for Healthcare Improvement & Patient Safety
Center for High Impact Philanthropy
Center for Human Modeling and Simulation
Center for Human Resources
Center for Italian Studies
Center for Leadership and Change Management
Center for Media at Risk
Center for Mental Health and Aging (CMHA)
Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research
Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases
Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR)
Center for Neuroscience and Society
Center for Particle Cosmology
Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights
Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing
Center for Public Art and Space
Center for Public Health Initiatives
Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health
Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology
Center for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamics
Center for Tax Law & Policy
Center for Teaching and Learning
Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition
Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society
Center for the Study of Contemporary China
Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety
Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships
Center for Veterinary Critical Care
Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL)
Chemical Heritage Foundation
Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics
Communication Neuroscience Lab
Computational Biology and Informatics Laboratory
Computational Neuroscience Initiative
Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE)
Council on Employee Relations (formerly Labor Relations Council)
Criminal Law Research Group
Digital Media, Networks, and Political Communication Group
Distributed Systems Laboratory
Energy Research Group
Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center on Family Violence
Fels Center of Government
Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research
Financial Institutions Center
Fishman-Davidson Center for Service and Operations Management
Fox Leadership Program
General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception Lab (GRASP lab)
Housing Initiative at Penn
Institute for Biomedical Informatics
Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism
Institute for Law & Economics
Institute for Law & Philosophy
Institute for Public Service
Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Institute for Research on Higher Education
Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics
Parker Institute for Cancer ImmunotharapyInstitute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT)
Institute on Aging
International Literacy institute (ILI)
Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research
James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies
Jay H. Baker Retailing Center
Joint Penn-CHOP Center for digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine
Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies
Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM)
Legal History Consortium
Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Linguistic Data Consortium
Logic and computation Group
Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences
Mari Lowe Center for Comparative Oncology Research
Mason Immunotherapy Research
McNeil Center for Early American Studies
Middle East Center
MindCORE
Nano/Bio Interface Center
National Center on Adult Literacy
Network Dynamics
New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health
PARC Population Aging Research Center
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Paul F Harron Lung Center
Penn Center for AIDS Research
Penn Cardiovascular Institute (Penn CVI)
Penn Center for Global Genomics & Health Equity
Penn Center for Health, Devices and Technology (Penn Health-Tech)
Penn Center for Innovation
Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics
Penn Child Research Center
Penn Epigenetics Institute
Penn Institute for Economic Research
Penn Institute for Immunology
Penn Institute for Urban Research
Penn Language Center
Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center
PennPraxis
Penn Program on Documentaries & the Law 
Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies
Penn Program on Race, Science & Society
Penn Program on Regulation
Penn Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science
Penn Vet Cancer Center
Penn Vet Working Dog Center
Penn Wharton China Center
Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship
PennGen Medical Genetics
Pennsylvania Muscle Institute
Pension Research Council
Population Studies Center
Positive Psychology Center
Premenstrual Syndrome Program
Prevention Research Center
Price Lab for Digital Humanities
Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
Risk Management and Decision Processes Center
Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research
Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center
SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management
Shelter Medicine
Singh Center for Nanotechnology
Smell and Taste Center
Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Center
South Asia Center
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies
Swine Teaching & Research Center
The Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy
The Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education
The Center of Neurobiology and Behavior (CNB)
The Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research
The McHarg Center
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Walter Flato Goodman Center for Comparative Medical Genetics
Water Center at Penn
Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI)
Wharton Financial Institutions Center
Wharton Global Family Alliance
Wharton Neuroscience Initiative
Wharton People Analytics
Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)
Wharton Risk Center's Business, Climate and Environmental Lab
Wharton Sports Business Initiative
Wharton-INSEAD Center for Global Research & Education
William and Phyllis Mack Center for Technological Innovation
Wolf Humanities Center
Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research