Vanessa Madden Recognized with 2026 Models of Innovation Award

The Models of Excellence Program celebrates the extraordinary achievements of full- and part-time staff across the University of Pennsylvania’s schools and centers. The Models of Innovation Award, previously named the Models of Excellence Award, specifically recognizes staff member accomplishments that reflect initiative, leadership, increased efficiency, and a deep commitment to service.

The Federal Research Transition Team is one of two groups and two individuals selected to receive this prestigious award.

“When federal research funding was disrupted in 2025, Penn’s Federal Research Transition Response Team rallied with speed, creativity, and determination to ensure that leading-edge research could continue. They developed systems to track hundreds of stop-work orders and grant terminations and reestablished critical payments despite government agency system outages. They successfully appealed dozens of funding cuts, resulting in multiple award reinstatements. Collaborating across finance, legal, and research administration functions, the team ensured uninterrupted payroll, maintained compliance, and provided steady and trusted guidance to Penn’s research community. Their innovative, unified response transformed unprecedented national disruption into a lasting model of operational resilience.” – Penn Models of Excellence Program

Vanessa Madden, Director of Portfolio Development for the PAIR Center, joins this group of awardees for her diligence in helping to building the tools that allowed essential research continue.

Vanessa Madden and the Federal Research Transition Team will honored at the Models of Excellence Ceremony on June 1, 2026, at the Penn Museum.