UF Research Foundation Announces 2024 Professorship Recipients
The University of Florida Research Foundation has named 34 of the university’s most productive and promising faculty members as UFRF Professors for 2024.
“This recognition goes to faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “UFRF Professors earn significant grants; publish in the leading journals in their field; hold university leadership positions; and contribute to the university in countless other ways.”
The UFRF Professors were recommended by their college deans based on nominations from their department chairs, a personal statement and an evaluation of their recent research accomplishments as evidenced by publications in scholarly journals, external funding, honors and awards, development of intellectual property and other measures appropriate to their field of expertise.
The three-year award includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant. The professorships are funded from the university’s share of royalty and licensing income on UF-generated products.
UF Research will recognize the new UFRF Professors during an event in the fall.
This year’s UFRF Professors are listed below:
College of the Arts
Laura Ellis
Professor of Organ and Carillon
Warrington College of Business
Klodiana Lanaj
Martin L. Schaffel Professor of Management
College of Dentistry
Frank Gibson
Associate Professor of Oral Biology
College of Design, Construction, and Planning
Charles Hailey
Professor of Architecture
College of Education
Maya Israel
Associate Professor and Center Director of CSEveryone Center for Computer Science Education of School of Teaching and Learning
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Swarup Bhunia
Semmoto Endowed Professor of Internet of Things and Director of the Warren B. Nelms Institute of the Connected World of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Lili Elefteriadou
Barbara Goldsby Distinguished Professor of Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment
Daniel Ferris
Robert W. Adenbaum Professor of J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering
Timothy Townsend
Professor of Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment
Florida Museum of Natural History
Michal Kowalewski
Curator and Jon L. and Beverly A. Thompson Chair of Invertebrate Paleontology
College of Health and Human Performance
Jalie Tucker
Mary F. Lane Endowed Professor of Health Education and Behavior
Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS)
Yiannis Ampatzidis
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Zhanao Deng
Professor of Environmental Horticulture
Mariola Ferraro
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Cell Science
Grady Roberts
Professor; Distinguished Teaching Scholar of Agricultural Education and Communication
Nian Wang
Professor; Mr. and Mrs. J.R. (Rip) Graves Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Biotechnology
College of Journalism and Communications
Huan Chen
Chair and Associate Professor of Advertising
Levin College of Law
Wentong Zheng
Professor of Law
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jillian Hernandez
Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
Kenneth Kidd
Professor of English
Todd Palmer
Professor of Biology
Sadie Ryan
Associate Professor of Geography
Lisa Scott
Professor of Psychology
Adrienne Strong
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Olivier Walther
Associate Professor of Geography
College of Medicine
Stephen Anton
Professor of Physiology and Aging
Eduardo Candelario-Jalil
Professor of Neuroscience
Sara Nixon
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry
Mingyi Xie
Associate Professor Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
College of Nursing
Debra Lyon
Professor and Kirbo Endowed Chair of Behavioral Nursing Science
College of Pharmacy
Larisa Cavallari
Professor and Debbie DeSantis Term Professor of Pharmacotherapy & Translational Research
College of Public Health and Health Professions
David Fuller
Professor of Physical Therapy
Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology
Gavin Rumbaugh
Professor of Neuroscience
College of Veterinary Medicine
Rhoel Dinglasan
Professor of Infectious Diseases and Immunology