Founded in 1855 as Pennsylvania's first and only land-grant institution, Penn State has evolved from an agricultural college into a comprehensive public research university. With its main campus at University Park and 23 additional locations across Pennsylvania, the university maintains its mission of teaching, research, and public service
47433
total students
7567
international students
4248
faculty staff
middle states commission
land grant institution
Penn State provides comprehensive career development through integrated career services across all colleges and campuses. The university offers over 40,000 individual career coaching sessions, 1,900 workshops, and 70 career fairs annually. Services include career counseling, mock interviews, employer connections, and extensive internship opportunities
40000
career coaching sessions
1900
workshops programs
70
career fairs
These are the expert instructors who will be teaching you throughout the course. With a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience, they’re here to guide, inspire, and support you every step of the way. Get to know the people who will help you reach your learning goals and make the most of your journey.
Distinguished Epidemiologist and Theoretical Ecologist
Dr. Ottar N. Bjornstad serves as Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Biology and holds the J. Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair of Epidemiology at The Pennsylvania State University. His research operates at the intersection of ecology, mathematical biology, and statistics, focusing on understanding population dynamics and disease outbreaks. His work encompasses five key areas: ecological statistics, population dynamics, species interactions, spatial dynamics, and infectious disease ecology. As a theoretical ecologist, he has made significant contributions to understanding the spread of diseases, including COVID-19, measles, whooping cough, and influenza. His research combines sophisticated mathematical modeling with empirical data analysis to study how diseases spread through populations. He has published extensively in prestigious journals like Science and Nature, with highly cited works on spatial synchrony in population dynamics and infectious disease modeling. Through his course "Epidemics - the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases" on Coursera, he shares his expertise in epidemiological modeling with a global audience. Dr. Bjornstad received his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Oslo and has become a leading figure in the field of ecological epidemiology, particularly in developing methods for analyzing spatiotemporal data in disease outbreaks
Distinguished Wildlife Disease Ecologist and Epidemiologist
Dr. Peter Hudson is the Willaman Professor of Biology and Director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. A leading authority in wildlife disease ecology, his research explores the dynamics of infectious diseases in animal populations through an integrated approach combining field studies, laboratory research, and mathematical modeling. His work focuses on understanding epidemiology, heterogeneities in disease transmission, and parasite interactions, shedding light on how infections persist and spread among hosts. Dr. Hudson’s research has significant implications for managing wildlife health and controlling emerging zoonotic diseases that threaten global ecosystems