Two professors in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been named University Scholars in recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship and service.
The program honors faculty excellence and provides $15,000 to each scholar for three years to enhance their academic careers. That money may be used for travel, equipment, research assistants, books or other purposes.
“The University Scholars program honors the outstanding accomplishments of these distinguished individuals,” said Nicholas Jones, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Illinois System. “Our faculty form the bedrock of a premier academic environment — one that not only advances societal progress but also attracts top-tier students and researchers from around the world to our universities.”
“The University Scholars embody the highest standards of academic excellence,” he continued. “Given the breadth and depth of scholarly work across our three campuses, and our ongoing commitment to recruiting and supporting exceptional educators and researchers, every recipient of this award has earned this recognition through truly commendable work.”
The two recipients, as described by their nominators:
Katy Heath, a professor and the head of the plant biology department, is a national leader in the study of plant-microbe symbiosis. Heath has woven together the study of evolutionary genetics, ecology and genomics to understand how leguminous plants and rhizobia coevolve, analyzing their interactions for ecosystem sustainability and responses to environmental change. Her scholarship on species interactions is part of a multidisciplinary approach that pulls from methods in the fields of quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology and ecology.
Heath also leads the $12.5 million National Science Foundation-funded Genomics and Eco-evolution of Multi-scale Symbioses Institute — which works to reveal the symbiotic effects of microbes on the natural world. She has bolstered the future career prospects of numerous undergraduate and graduate students by providing transformative research experiences and thoughtful mentorship.
Communication professor Charee Thompson is a nationally recognized scholar in interpersonal health communication and patient/provider contexts, focusing on the role communication plays in how people navigate the uncertainties associated with conditions that are chronic, non-visible, not well understood, underfunded and associated with stigma. She has produced groundbreaking theoretical and applied research, including virtual reality training to reduce implicit bias in maternal health care.
Thompson’s scholarly output is prolific, with an average of more than nine journal articles per year, but she still carves out time for her role as an educator and in service to the university. She has received both the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the campuswide awards for excellence in undergraduate education and routinely earns top student evaluations. Thompson also actively participates in public engagement efforts through workshops, media appearances and interdisciplinary collaborations that translate communication research into real-world change and impact.
Other campus recipients include Qian Chen, a professor of materials science and engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering; Art and new media professor Ben Grosser is an internationally acclaimed artist and scholar in the School of Art & Design; and Emily Knox, a professor and the interim dean in the School of Information Sciences.
