Katherine (Katie) Unger Baillie Appointed Director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative (EII)

Senior Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell is pleased to announce the appointment of Katherine (Katie) Unger Baillie as Director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative (EII).

In her role, Katie oversees the operations of EII and spearheads key initiatives such as the EII Faculty Fellows Program, Academic Climate Commitments, and seed funding for interdisciplinary research. She fosters collaboration with campus leaders, faculty, and related offices, as well as with external partners both nationally and internationally.

Katie joined the Environmental Innovations Initiative in 2023 as its associate director, responsible for elevating the visibility of transdisciplinary climate and environmental research at Penn. Previously, she was the senior science news officer within Penn’s Office of University Communications, where she covered life science news and research for Penn Today. Katie earned a master’s in environmental studies from Penn, with a concentration in resource management; a master’s in science writing from Johns Hopkins University; and a bachelor’s in biology from Haverford College.   

The Environmental Innovations Initiative aims to catalyze solutions to real-world environmental challenges by fostering collaboration across disciplines, leading inclusive and dynamic programming on- and off-campus, forming strategic alliances with external partners, and elevating the visibility of Penn’s strengths.