UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Julianna Simon, associate professor of acoustics and of biomedical engineering, has been named the director of the Penn State Graduate Program in Acoustics, effective Jan. 1. The promotion follows her service as interim director since the summer of 2024 and as a Penn State faculty member since 2017.
“Julianna has been a force for innovative research, collaboration and academic excellence since she joined Penn State almost nine years ago,” said Tonya L. Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of the Penn State College of Engineering. “Penn State’s acoustics program is truly one of a kind, and I am confident that Julianna, with her vision and leadership, will build on the program’s strengths to create new opportunities for our students and researchers.”
Penn State is the only civilian institution in the U.S. to offer advanced degrees in acoustics, including master of science, master of engineering and doctoral degrees. Additionally, three graduate certificate programs in physical acoustics, noise control and building acoustics, and audio devices and signal were launched in 2025 to meet the needs of students and industry. The Graduate Program in Acoustics, founded in 1965, offers students access to state-of-the-art facilities and courses in topics ranging from underwater acoustics and medical ultrasonics to aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics and more. Most of the courses are blended between resident and Penn State World Campus students, and the University's acoustics alumni are in many areas of government, academia and industry.
“I am honored to be entrusted with the leadership of the historic Graduate Program in Acoustics,” Simon said. “This role represents an incredible opportunity to continue advancing research and education in acoustics while supporting the success of our students and faculty. I look forward to building on the program’s strong legacy and shaping its future with the students, faculty and staff of acoustics and the College of Engineering.”
Simon received her bachelor of science degree from Washington State University in 2009 and her doctorate from the University of Washington in 2013, both in bioengineering. She received a National Space Biomedical Research Institute First Award Postdoctoral Fellowship after graduation to investigate kidney stone detection with ultrasound in spaceflight analogs.
After joining Penn State as an assistant professor in 2017, Simon started the Biomedical Acoustics Simon Lab, or BASiL. The goal of the lab’s research is to apply the fundamentals of acoustics to develop novel ultrasound diagnostics or therapeutics. Some of their ongoing research includes developing a new focused ultrasound technology to treat chronic tendon injuries, using focused ultrasound to “exercise” muscles, diagnosing and treating pathological mineralizations, understanding the distribution of bubble nuclei for acoustic cavitation in tissues, and ultrasound-mediated drug delivery.
Simon received the R. Bruce Lindsay early career award in 2023 from the Acoustical Society of America, the Frederic L. Lizzi Award in 2024 from the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound and the NSF CAREER award in 2020. She has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed journal papers and 250 abstracts for national and international conferences.
“I became interested in acoustics as an undergraduate when my horse tore a ligament in her leg, and it was diagnosed and treated using ultrasound,” Simon said previously in a Q&A. “When speaking with potential labs for graduate research at the University of Washington, I met with ultrasound researchers and found that ultrasound was the only medical diagnostic and therapeutic that was feasible to fly in space. Combining my passions for music, horses and spaceflight, I began researching ultrasound and have never looked back!”
Simon said her goals for the acoustics program include increasing awareness of the program and possibly creating an undergraduate major in acoustics.
“The Graduate Program in Acoustics at Penn State is truly unique in the United States and has a strong reputation of high-quality research and education,” Simon said. “I look forward to continuing to expand interdisciplinary collaborations, enhance student engagement and ensure our graduates are equipped to address the evolving challenges in acoustics.”