Seven Texas A&M University faculty members have been appointed as university distinguished professors. The title, which is bestowed in perpetuity, is among the highest honors awarded to Texas A&M faculty members.
The latest recipients are: Dr. Gianfranco D. Alpini, professor of medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine; Dr. Robert S. Chapkin, regents professor of nutrition and food science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Dr. Joe R. Feagin, professor of sociology, College of Liberal Arts; Dr. P. R. Kumar, professor, Department Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering; Dr. Jeffrey W. Savell, regents professor of animal science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Dr. Renyi Zhang, professor of atmospheric sciences, College of Geosciences, and professor of chemistry, College of Science; and Dr. M. Suhail Zubairy, professor of physics and astronomy, College of Science.
The 2014 university distinguished professor honorees join a select group of more than 70 current faculty members that hold the prestigious title. This designation denotes a faculty member who is pre-eminent in his or her field, has made at least one seminal contribution to the discipline, and whose work is central in any narrative of the field and is widely recognized to have changed the direction of scholarship in the field.
“University Distinguished Professors represent the highest level of achievement for our faculty,” said Dr. Karan L. Watson, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “They are recognized as pre-eminent authorities in their fields and their accomplishments are exemplified by outstanding teaching, mentoring, discovery and service. They demonstrate to the world the high quality of scholarship underway at Texas A&M University.”
Texas A&M Interim President Mark Hussey and the Texas A&M Foundation will host a reception on April 30 recognizing the six new university distinguished professors and honoring all of the University Distinguished Professors. More information, including a complete list of University Distinguished Professors, is available online at http://dof.tamu.edu/distinguished-professor.
To read the university’s complete release as well as Dr. Kumar’s bio and the bios of the other professors, visit: http://bit.ly/1jFGRMQ.