Apr 30, 2025

Celebrating James Marden: A Decade of Impact and a Lifetime of Achievement

After a decade of exceptional service to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and a distinguished academic career spanning four decades, James Marden, professor of biology and associate director of operations, will retire from Penn State at the end of June 2025.

Marden joined the Huck Institutes leadership team in 2014, initially focusing on core facility operations. "I told Peter Hudson that I wanted no part of the financial side of things, and that lasted maybe ten minutes," Marden joked, reflecting on the quick evolution of his role. By 2016, he became the Director of Operations, taking on critical responsibilities such as faculty space management, core facility enhancement, and interdisciplinary research support.

Throughout his tenure, Marden played a pivotal role in building infrastructure that has propelled Penn State's research enterprise to new heights. His leadership helped create the CSL-Behring Fermentation Facility and later the Sartorius Cell Culture Facility, initiatives that leveraged corporate partnerships and philanthropy to enhance Penn State's research and workforce development capabilities. "Huck's license to operate freely and creatively across the university allowed me to catalyze and convene a diverse team who worked together to make this happen," Marden said.

Another major accomplishment under Marden's stewardship was the establishment of the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Core, a world-class facility that now enables Penn State researchers to explore the molecular world at atomic resolution.

James Marden’s scientific curiosity and versatility have always set him apart. His research career bridged disciplines, encompassing functional genomics, biomechanics, physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. Working primarily with insects, Marden examined physiological mechanisms and ecological dynamics, and more recently expanded into studying allelic variation in tropical trees. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Vermont and his B.S. from the University of Miami, followed by postdoctoral work at Brown University and the University of Texas, Austin.

“Throughout his research career, Jim has been fascinated by individual and population variation in behavior and life history strategies of different species,” said Huck Institutes Director Christina Grozinger. “Since these investigations involve wild populations, and not typical lab models, tackling these questions and systems is incredibly challenging and requires creativity, resourcefulness, and deep integration across disciplines. Jim has been an inspiration to us all, and I am so grateful to have been able to seek his counsel for both my own research and for supporting interdisciplinary research through the Huck Institutes.”

Andrew Read, Senior Vice President for Research at Penn State, highlighted Marden’s unique contributions: "Jim is impossible to place in a disciplinary box – biologist, ecologist, physiologist, entomologist, bioinformatician, genomics, gene expression… the best I could ever come up with was the near meaningless ‘quantitative life scientist.’ He really embodies the Huck interdisciplinarity."

Troy Ott, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, echoed those sentiments: "In addition to his impressive scholarship and the positive impact Jim had on countless undergraduate and graduate students, Jim played a key role in shaping the vision for interdisciplinary research impact that guides the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Beyond that, Jim was incredibly strategic in how to operationalize that vision."

Looking ahead, Marden is excited for a new chapter filled with family, nature, and continued academic engagement. "Paula and I recently completed building, with our own hands and occasional helpers, a cabin on Penns Creek where I enjoy fly fishing, biking, kayaking, photography, and generally immersing myself in nature," he said. Marden plans to remain active as an emeritus professor, continuing to publish research and collaborate with colleagues.

As he transitions into retirement, James Marden leaves behind a legacy of scholarship, leadership, and a stronger, more connected life sciences community at Penn State. The Huck Institutes, and the wider university, are grateful for his countless contributions and wish him many peaceful days on the water ahead.