Biology professor, Huck associate operations director to retire
After a decade of 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.
Marden joined the Huck Institutes leadership team in 2014, initially focusing on core facility operations.
"I told Peter Hudson, director of the Huck Institutes at the time, that I wanted no part of the financial side of things, and that lasted maybe 10 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.
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 — genetic differences in the same species — in tropical trees. He earned his doctorate and master of science from the University of Vermont and his bachelor of science from the University of Miami, followed by postdoctoral work at Brown University and the University of Texas, Austin. After a two-year temporary assistant professor position at Colgate University, Marden joined the Penn State faculty in July of 1992.
“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," Read said.
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,” Ott said. “Beyond that, Jim was incredibly strategic in how to operationalize that vision."
Looking ahead, Marden said 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," Marden said, noting that he also plans to remain active in academia, continuing to publish research and collaborate with colleagues.