The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences has named several accomplished faculty members to endowed chair and professorship positions. The positions are some of the highest honors that can be granted by the college.
The recipients will be awarded discretionary funding to carry out research and scholarship related to their fields. They will be honored in investiture ceremonies scheduled throughout the year.
“These professors represent the very best of LAS in terms of research, scholarship, public engagement, education, and service,” said Venetria K. Patton, the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of LAS. “We will celebrate their achievements with pride and look forward to their future endeavors and accomplishments.”
The recipients are as follow:
Antony Augoustakis, classics, and Waïl Hassan, comparative and world literature, received the John A. and Grace W. Nicholson Professorship. The professorship aims to help further the study of humanities, with special preference to literature and the history of philosophy. Augoustakis studies cultural poetics and the sociopolitics of Flavian poetry. Hassan studies Modern Arabic, Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone literatures.
Augoustakis is also associate dean for humanities and interdisciplinary programs for LAS.
The professorship originated from the John A. Nicholson and Grace W. Nicholson Endowment Fund, established in 1999, which was a gift of Grace W. Nicholson (1906-1998) who pursued undergraduate studies in the College of LAS, and professor emeritus John A. Nicholson (1891-1986), who taught in the Department of Philosophy at U of I for 33 years.
Alison Bell, evolution, ecology and behavior, received the Lavern C. Riess Professorship, an appointment open to any LAS discipline. Bell researches stickleback fish to study proximate causes and ultimate consequences of individual behavior differences.
This professorship is named for the late Lavern C. Riess, an LAS graduate, Class of 1945.
Yuguo Chen, statistics, and Shaowen Wang, geography and geographic information science, received the Robert W. Schaefer Professorship. Chen’s research deals with Monte Carlo theory and methodology, plus statistical inference on network data. Wang’s research looks to advance cyberGIS, geospatial data science, and spatial artificial intelligence.
Wang is also associate dean for natural and mathematical sciences for LAS.
The professorship is named for the late Robert W. Schaefer (BS, ’56, chemical engineering), who served in the U.S. Navy and later joined the Monsanto Company in St. Louis, where he was part of the team that introduced I-Dopa, the breakthrough Parkinson’s disease drug. He was a great supporter of the University of Illinois throughout his life.
James Dalling, plant biology, and Kara Federmeier, psychology, received the Catherine C. and Bruce A. Bastian Endowed Professorship in Liberal Arts, open to any LAS discipline. Dalling studies tropical forest dynamics, plant-soil and plant-fungal interactions, and seed ecology. Federmeier studies language processing, semantic memory, and aging.
This professorship was established by the estate of 1954 LAS alumnus Bruce A. Bastian.
Brian Freeman, cell and developmental biology, received the I. C. Gunsalus Professorship, which supports experts in the biomolecular fields who demonstrate high originality of thought, independence, and research impact. Freeman’s research deals with aging, transcription, chromatin remodeling, and genome reorganization.
The professorship is named after the late Irwin C. Gunsalus, a former professor in microbiology and head of biochemistry who retired in 1982. Gunsalus later went on to work for the United Nations and conducted studies for the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Eva Pomerantz, psychology and gender and women’s studies, received the Marjorie Roberts Professorship, granted based on scholarship record and contributions to public engagement. Pomerantz researches how to facilitate children’s motivation and achievement in school.
This professorship is named for the late Marjorie Roberts, from the University of Illinois Class of 1924. Upon her death she left part of her estate to the College of LAS.
Andrew Suarez, entomology and evolution, ecology, and behavior, received the Ralph H. and Ursula F. Goebel Endowed Chair in Liberal Arts. The chair is open to full professors of any LAS discipline. Suarez researches the ecology and behavior of ants, as well as biological invasions.
This chair is named for both the late Ralph and Ursula Goebel. Ralph served in WWII in the European theater and upon his return, earned a bachelor of science degree with highest honors in mathematics in 1947. He spent a career in the insurance industry.
