Reka Z. Albert

Reka Z. Albert is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics at Penn State University, with significant interdisciplinary affiliations including the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Penn State Cancer Institute (Next-Generation Therapies). Her research bridges physics, biology, and computational science through innovative network-based approaches to complex biological systems.

Her primary research interests focus on network science applied to biological contexts, particularly in signal transduction pathways, gene regulatory networks, plant-pollinator ecological networks, and network medicine. She develops and applies Boolean and dynamic network models to understand the structure, dynamics, and control principles of complex biological systems.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on applying network theory to solve biological problems across multiple scales - from molecular signaling to ecological communities. Her work demonstrates particular strength in translating abstract network concepts into concrete biological insights, with applications spanning plant biology, cancer research, and traditional medicine systems.

• Sloan Research Fellowship (2004-present)
• Numerous National Science Foundation grants as Principal Investigator

Professor Albert maintains an active research program with significant mentoring responsibilities, overseeing multiple graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Her work has generated substantial external funding, including continuous support from the National Science Foundation since 2004. She leads interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge physics, biology, and computational sciences, creating innovative approaches to understanding complex biological phenomena through network theory.