OpenFieldFounded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is an Ivy League research powerhouse and one of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American Declaration of Independence. Home to the legendary Wharton School, Penn Medicine (where Nobel laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman pioneered mRNA vaccine technology), Penn Engineering, and the School of Arts and Sciences, Penn commands over $1.4 billion in annual sponsored research, guaranteeing full multi-year doctoral funding fellowships for all admitted PhD candidates.
Review checked academic pathways and funding options below:
World-leading doctoral training across 7 biomedical graduate groups at Penn Medicine (home of Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology), providing five years of guaranteed living stipends, healthcare, and tuition waivers.
Top-ranked doctoral program in computer science, offering cutting-edge research in machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics (GRASP Lab), database systems, and cryptography.
Prestigious interdisciplinary Master of Science delivered by the world-famous General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Laboratory, investigating autonomous flying micro-drones, legged locomotion, and surgical robotics.
Doctoral research conducted within the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) and the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, investigating 2D materials, topological quantum matter, and quantum optics.
Two-year postdoctoral appointment at Perry World House, Penn's global policy hub, connecting academic research with international policymakers on emerging technologies, climate security, and international governance.
Ten-week National Science Foundation REU summer research traineeship at the GRASP Lab, collaborating with world-leading roboticists on autonomous drone navigation, multi-robot coordination, and tactile robotic hands.
Postdoctoral research role at the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, designing next-generation modified mRNA sequences, organ-specific lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and therapeutic cancer vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania provides full 5-year guaranteed funding packages to all admitted PhD students in good academic standing. The standard doctoral package covers 100% of full tuition ($46,000/year graduate rate), comprehensive Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP, valued at over $4,200/year), full general university fees, and an annual living stipend of $43,000 to $46,500 for 10 to 12 months (combining Penn fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching fellowships).
Distinguished researchers and laboratory heads at University of Pennsylvania:
Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine · mRNA Vaccines, Immunology, Lipid Nanoparticles, Infectious Diseases
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Dean of Penn Engineering · Aerial Robotics, Autonomous Swarms, Multi-Robot Systems, Micro-UAVs
National Center Professor of Computer and Information Science · Machine Learning, Algorithmic Fairness, Computational Finance, Game Theory
Facts reflect official University of Pennsylvania documentation reviewed 2026-10-15. Degree admissions, scholarship awards, and employment positions are subject to formal university review. OpenField does not charge students application fees.
Reviewed 2026-10-15 · Editorial standards · Report an issue