Communications from the Chief Scientific Officer

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Janis Burkhardt, PhD, as Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Research Training and Director of our outstanding Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP) at the University of Pennsylvania, effective January 1, 2026. At that time, she will succeed Maja Bucan, PhD, whom we thank for six years of thoughtful and enthusiastic leadership. Everyone involved in BPP knows of Dr. Burkhardt, who has been a tireless mentor to and advocate of our research training community. 

An accomplished scientist, Dr. Burkhardt is the Chief of the Division of Cell Pathology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute, as well as a faculty member in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM).  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Duke University, where she was an Irvington Institute postdoctoral fellow. After conducting postdoctoral studies in the Cell Biology Programme at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, she established her independent research program at The University of Chicago in 1996. 

Dr. Burkhardt moved to PSOM and CHOP’s Research Institute in 2002. Her cross-disciplinary research is aimed at understanding how cytoskeletal dynamics control immune cell function and defining the mechanisms through which defects in cytoskeletal proteins result in immune dysregulation. For over two decades, our communities have benefited from Dr. Burkhardt’s passion for science and her dedicated teaching.  In her own laboratory, she has mentored over 40 postdoctoral fellows, graduate, medical and undergraduate students.

As Director of the Office of BPP, Dr. Burkhardt will oversee all aspects of biomedical postdoctoral programs within the School, as well as build upon collaborations across campus.  Deeply committed to education and mentorship, with a focus on fostering an inclusive training environment and broadening the definition of a successful scientific career, Dr. Burkhardt is a champion of programs like Penn - Postdoctoral Opportunities in Research and Teaching (PennPORT), an NIH-supported training program aimed at preparing postdoctoral fellows for careers that combine research and teaching.  She has served in leadership roles in graduate and postdoctoral training at Penn and CHOP, and holds affiliations with the Immunology Graduate Group and the Cell Biology, Physiology and Metabolism program within the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group. Dr. Burkhardt has been awarded the Distinguished Mentor Award from Penn Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs and the Simon Flexner Award for Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students and Postdocs from the Penn Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.  

Ever the models of collaboration and shared expertise, Dr. Bucan and Dr. Burkhardt will partner in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition in BPP leadership.  We are grateful to Dr. Bucan for her many years of dedicated service, and we are excited that Dr. Burkhardt is taking on this expanded and impactful leadership role as Director of the Office of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs. 

E. Michael Ostap, PhD

Professor of Physiology

Senior Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania