Russell Composto is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1990. He earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 1987 and an MS in Materials Science in 1984 from Cornell University, along with a BA in Physics in 1982 from Gettysburg College. Appointed as Penn's inaugural Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education on July 1, 2025, Composto previously served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the School of Engineering and Applied Science from 2015 to 2023, leading the development of a new engineering curriculum and individualized student advising programs. From 2023 to 2025, he was Bozza Family Faculty Co-Director of Penn First Plus, supporting lower- to middle-income and first-generation college students. He chaired the working group on research for Penn's 2024 Middle States reaccreditation and has spearheaded STEM education innovations, including multi-year Howard Hughes Medical Institute funding for introductory STEM courses and National Science Foundation grants for interdisciplinary graduate training.

Composto's research centers on polymer physics, encompassing polymer surfaces and interfaces, adhesion, diffusion, and biomolecular engineering, through the Composto Research Group. He is a Fellow and former chair of the American Physical Society's Division of Polymer Physics. Notable honors include the Howell Family Faculty Fellow designation, NSF Special Creativity and Presidential Young Investigator Awards, Geoffrey Marshall Mentoring Award from the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools, Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising, and Penn Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring. Key publications feature 'Fast Macromolecules Control Mutual Diffusion in Polymer Blends' (Nature, 1987), 'Fast Mutual Diffusion in Polymer Blend' (Physical Review Letters, 1986), 'Mutual Diffusion in the Miscible Polymer Blend Polystyrene Poly(Xylenyl Ether)' (Macromolecules, 1988), and 'Strategies for Dispersing, Assembling, and Orientating Nanorods in Polymers' (Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 2012). His scholarship has garnered over 14,500 citations, profoundly impacting polymer science and materials engineering.

Professional Email: composto@seas.upenn.edu