Bio:

Rachel Penton joined the Allen Institute Education and Engagement team in August of 2024. She works to support educators in integrating the Allen Institute’s open science data and resources into undergraduate neuroscience, cell biology, and immunology education through curriculum design and faculty development. She completed her PhD in Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with Robin Lester and her postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology with Henry Lester.

Before joining the Allen Institute, Rachel was a Teaching Associate Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Advising in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill. Her research centered on the design and assessment of high-impact learning experiences in undergraduate neuroscience courses. These experiences included in-depth analysis of scientific literature, Makerspace design projects, course-based undergraduate research experiences, study abroad courses, collaborative online international learning, and service learning. This work was done in collaboration with her team of undergraduate research & learning assistants. She also co-facilitated faculty learning communities and faculty development workshops. While at UNC Chapel Hill, she integrated Allen Institute open science data into her Introduction to Neuroscience, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Neurophysiology Data Science Lab courses. Previously, she was a full-time lecturer at CSU Channel Islands and a clinical study specialist at Allergan Medical.