He received his BS in biology and genetics at Cornell University in 1986 and his PhD in molecular biology at Rockefeller University in 1990. He came to Penn in 1995 as an assistant professor to the same department. Dr. Kessler’s lab researches Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation in the Vertebrate Embryo. He is a member of the cell and molecular biology graduate group in the developmental biology program, to which he is also the program chair, and the neuroscience graduate group. He currently serves as the educational director for the Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine here at Penn. According to his peers and students, Dr. Kessler is an outstanding teacher and mentor who has an infectious enthusiasm for research and teaching, as well as a remarkable dedication to his graduate students.