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Duke Awards 29 University Distinguished Professorships

Part of the Spring 2020 Awards and Honors Series

Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 29 faculty members from eight Duke colleges and schools. While the annual University Distinguished Professors dinner will be postponed until social gathering restrictions are lifted, Provost Sally Kornbluth is ready to congratulate this year’s recipients now.

“I am thrilled to honor this wonderful cohort of scholars, teachers, and members of the Duke community,” Kornbluth said. “Becoming a distinguished professor at Duke is a great achievement, and one that is richly deserved by these outstanding colleagues. I look forward to being able to congratulate them in person!” 

2020 recipients include:

 

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Steffen Bass, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Physics, effective July 1, 2020.

Matthew Becker, Hugo L. Blomquist Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, effective September 1, 2020

Paula McClain, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Political Science, effective July 1, 2020

Felwine Sarr, Anne-Marie Bryan Distinguished Professor of Romance Studies, effective July 1, 2020. Sarr will be joining Trinity from his current position at Gaston Berger University in Senegal.

Georg Vanberg, Ernestine Friedl Distinguished Professor of Political Science, effective August 1, 2020

Jennifer Nash, Jean Fox O'Barr Women's Studies Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020. Nash will be joining Trinity College from her current position at Northwestern University.

 

Divinity School

Luke Bretherton, Robert E. Cushman Distinguished Professor of Moral and Political Theology, effective July 1, 2020

Xi Lian, David C. Steinmetz Distinguished Professor of World Christianity, effective July 1, 2020

C. Kavin Rowe, George Washington Ivey Distinguished Professor of New Testament, effective July 1, 2020

 

Fuqua School of Business

Aaron Chatterji, Mark Burgess & Lisa Benson-Burgess Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Grainne Fitzsimons, James L. Vincent Distinguished Professor of Leadership, effective July 1, 2020

Kevin Shang, Joseph J. Ruvane, Jr. Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

 

Nicholas School of the Environment

Lisa Campbell, Rachel Carson Distinguished Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy, effective July 1, 2020

Brian Silliman, Rachel Carson Distinguished Professor of Marine Conservation Biology, effective July 1, 2020

Heather Stapleton, Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

 

Pratt School of Engineering

Michael Rubinstein, Aleksander S. Vesic Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, effective July 1, 2020

 

School of Law

Nita Farahany, Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law, effective July 1, 2020

Michael Frakes, A. Kenneth Pye Distinguished Professor of Law, effective July 1, 2020

Stephen Sachs, Colin W. Brown Distinguished Professor of Law, effective July 1, 2020

 

School of Medicine

Nicole Calakos, Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor of Neuro-Biology, effective July 1, 2020

Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez, Kiser-Arena Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Kathleen Cooney, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine, effective July 1, 2020

Steven George, Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, effective July 1, 2020

Sue Jinks-Robertson, Mary Bernheim Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Manesh Patel, Richard Sean Stack Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Sallie Permar, Wilburt C. Davison Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Ponugoti Rao, Richard and Kit Barkhouser Distinguished Professor, effective July 1, 2020

Scott Soderling, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology, effective July 1, 2020

 

School of Nursing

Xiao Hu, Ann Henshaw Gardiner Distinguished Professor of Nursing, effective July 1, 2020

 

In addition, three other professors will be honored at the later ceremony, after receiving distinguished professor appointments in 2019 but after last year's dinner.

David Ashley, Rory David Deutsch Distinguished Professor of Neuro-Oncology

Albert La Spada, The Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor in Neurobiology

Vance Fowler, Florence McAlister Distinguished Professor of Medicine