Elizabeth A. Vallen *92

Liz died of cancer April 10, 2024, in Swarthmore, Pa. She was 59.

She was born Feb. 8, 1965, in Philadelphia. A first-generation college graduate, she earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Case Western Reserve in 1986 and a doctorate in molecular biology at Princeton in 1992.

After fellowships at Yale and Rockefeller universities, Liz joined the Swarthmore faculty to teach cell biology in 1995. She served twice as chair of the biology department and became the Howard A. Schneiderman professor of biology in 2019.

Liz taught introductory courses and honors classes on cell and molecular biology. To the delight of many students, she used pool noodles to demonstrate how chromosomes interact. In recent years, she refocused her research on the cell biology of corals, sea anemones, and photosynthetic algae, and became an authority on marine environment and climate change.

She created a Science for Kids program that has grown from a dozen young students in 2004 to more than 50 in biology, chemistry, and physics workshops, and was active with Swarthmore’s Summer Science and Summer Scholars programs. She was an editor for Cell Biology Education.

Liz is survived by her husband, Steve DiNardo, and children Zach and Abby.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.