�ǿմ�ý Board of Curators names new Curators’ Distinguished Professors

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The �ǿմ�ý Board of Curators recently named 17 faculty members from across the UM System as Curators’ Distinguished Professors and Professor Emeritus.

"Honoring our faculty with this distinction is the highest honor the board awards," said Robin Wenneker, chair of the UM Board of Curators. "These designations recognize these professors for their contributions to their respective fields and their outstanding scholarship. This illustrious group signals to others that the UM System is a powerhouse, drawing the top professors from around the world to our universities. It's an honor to recognize each professor for their dedication to academic excellence, research, our students and our mission."

The designation is given to faculty who have demonstrated exemplary research or teaching in their subject areas.

“These prestigious appointments recognize outstanding scholars who are internationally renowned for their impact and accomplishments,” said Mun Choi, �ǿմ�ý president. “Their work elevates our understanding of the world around us and prepares the next generation of leaders for success.”

This year’s recipients are:

Curators’ Distinguished Professors

�ǿմ�ý-Columbia

	Prasad Calyam, the Greg L. Gilliom Professor in the College of Engineering Calyam is an internationally recognized expert in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
	Baolin Deng, the William A. Davidson Professor in the College of Engineering Deng has made significant contributions to water quality and environmental toxicity, contaminant transformation and removal of toxins from drinking water.
	Roman Ganta, the McKee Endowed Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and a primary investigator at Bond Life Sciences Center Ganta’s research aims to understand pathogen transmission, pioneering several models to study tick-borne diseases.
	Loukas Grafakos, the Mahala and Rose Houchins Distinguished Professor in the College of Arts and Science Grafakos is renowned for solving a longstanding mathematics problem, and his work includes one of the most cited papers in the field, inspiring multiple new lines of research.
	Mengshi Lin, a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Lin’s research centers on the development and application of surface-enhanced spectroscopy analytical techniques to determine chemical and biological contaminants in food and packaging materials.
	Shelly Rodgers, the Maxine Wilson Gregory Chair in Journalism Research and a professor in the Missouri School of Journalism Rodgers’ research focuses on enhancing health and science communication for historically underserved groups.
	Haval Shirwan, a professor in the �ǿմ�ý School of Medicine and principal investigator at NextGen Precision Health Shirwan’s research focuses on the modulation of the immune system for treating disorders such as type 1 diabetes, cancer and transplant rejection.
	Bing Yang, a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and a primary investigator at Bond Life Sciences Center Yang is an internationally recognized authority on plant genome engineering with applications in crop resistance to pathogens.
	Xiaoqin Zou, a professor in the College of Arts and Science with a joint appointment in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Zou pioneered the development of cutting-edge methodologies for predicting protein structures and understanding underlying protein functions.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Ming C. Leu, the Keith and Pat Bailey Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering and Computing

Leu’s research involves 3D printing, smart manufacturing, intelligent robotics and cyber-physical systems.

�ǿմ�ý-St. Louis

Cody Ding, a professor in the College of Education

Ding’s research focuses on human behaviors from the perspective of psychometrics and neurosciences.

David Kimball, a professor and chair of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences

Kimball is a nationally recognized scholar with works making seminal contributions to understanding the changing American electorate.

Xuemin (Sam) Wang, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences

Wang’s research investigates the roles of lipids in agricultural systems.

Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professors

�ǿմ�ý-Kansas City

Yugyung Lee, a professor in the School of Science and Engineering

Lee’s research and teaching focuses on artificial intelligence, data science and other emerging technologies.

Sean O’Brien, a professor in the School of Law

O’Brien’s teaching focuses on criminal law, criminal procedures, sentencing mitigation and post-conviction remedies.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Merilee A. Krueger, a teaching professor in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education

Krueger teaches a variety of psychology courses including general psychology, educational psychology and adolescent development.

Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus

�ǿմ�ý-Columbia

Richard Meadows, an adjunct professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine Meadows’ focus has been teaching community practice veterinary medicine of cats and dogs.

Reviewed 2024-09-25

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